Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Sells 2,539 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado decreased its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 4.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,758 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,539 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $12,311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,321 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 13,927.7% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 504,296 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $90,319,000 after buying an additional 500,701 shares during the last quarter. DSM Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $86,364,000. Finally, Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd increased its stake in Waste Management by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 173,782 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,124,000 after acquiring an additional 4,199 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $200.54 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.48 billion, a PE ratio of 32.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $149.71 and a 12-month high of $225.00. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $209.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $205.19.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.82. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.52% and a net margin of 12.13%. The company had revenue of $5.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.51 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.10%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 4,208 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.28, for a total value of $859,610.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 45,644 shares in the company, valued at $9,324,156.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $330,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 44,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,711,680. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 4,208 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.28, for a total value of $859,610.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 45,644 shares in the company, valued at $9,324,156.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $241.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on Waste Management from $219.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $215.83.

Waste Management Profile

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.