Achmea Investment Management B.V. Purchases 15,505 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 77.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,608 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,505 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $7,597,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 83.9% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,770 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $838,000 after purchasing an additional 2,176 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 5,282 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $946,000 after acquiring an additional 1,126 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in Waste Management by 35.7% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 7,924 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,419,000 after acquiring an additional 2,084 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co increased its holdings in Waste Management by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 33,978 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,085,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meridian Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,854 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,586,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Price Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $207.86 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $83.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $209.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $208.76. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $149.71 and a one year high of $225.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.13% and a return on equity of 39.52%. The business had revenue of $5.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.51 EPS. Waste Management’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WM. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Waste Management from $229.00 to $224.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $226.00 to $216.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. CIBC lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $223.00 to $213.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waste Management to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $330,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 44,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,711,680. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.