Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Sold by Northwest Wealth Management LLC

Northwest Wealth Management LLC cut its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 11.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,405 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 175 shares during the period. Northwest Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Aviso Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 12,356 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,493,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. LBP AM SA purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $1,987,000. Parnassus Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 6,272,009 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,265,629,000 after buying an additional 1,151,237 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $661,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 291,210 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,763,000 after buying an additional 1,823 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE WM opened at $222.92 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $89.64 billion, a PE ratio of 32.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $220.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $215.15. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.59 and a 1-year high of $235.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 37.93%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Scotiabank upped their target price on Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James increased their price target on Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.65.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,576 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.12, for a total value of $1,016,421.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 58,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,052,881.80. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 560 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.11, for a total value of $123,261.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,152 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,014,446.72. This represents a 5.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 95,577 shares of company stock valued at $21,662,464. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Waste Management Company 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.