Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Lowers Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. trimmed its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 50,121 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,407 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $11,141,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. RHL Group LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management by 55.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Waste Management this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Commentary today reiterated that WM’s irreplaceable physical network supports predictable, inflation-protected cash flow, reinforcing the stock’s appeal as a long-term “forever” holding. Why This Once-in-a-Decade Selloff Makes One Waste Management Company a Forever Stock
• Positive Sentiment: WM also reinforced its brand and operational discipline by updating its Recycle Right® guidance to warn customers not to place batteries in recycling or trash bins, a move that highlights safety focus and could help reduce facility fire risk. WM Updates Recycle Right® Rules: No Batteries in Recycling or Trash
• Neutral Sentiment: Several items referenced capital-markets activity around Waste Management entities, including debt issuance in Canada, which may support financing flexibility but does not appear to be a major stock-moving catalyst for WM’s core U.S. operations. Waste Management eyes selling $750 million in bonds
• Negative Sentiment: WM shares have recently softened amid a broader selloff in industrials and a market session where the stock fell while the wider market rose, suggesting some near-term profit-taking or valuation pressure. Waste Management (WM) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

Waste Management Price Performance

WM opened at $218.73 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $222.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $224.79. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The company has a market cap of $87.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.45.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The business had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 54.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WM. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.30.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) is a leading provider of integrated waste management and environmental services in North America. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span collection, transfer, disposal and recycling, along with landfill operations and related infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Waste Management serves a broad customer base that includes residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Core services include curbside and commercial waste collection, roll-off and temporary container services, materials recovery and recycling, and engineered landfill disposal.