Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Bought by Chilton Investment Co. Inc.

Chilton Investment Co. Inc. grew its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 92.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 379,398 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 181,999 shares during the period. Waste Management comprises 1.7% of Chilton Investment Co. Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Chilton Investment Co. Inc. owned 0.09% of Waste Management worth $83,782,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,064,206,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 444.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,206,026 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $487,157,000 after buying an additional 1,800,728 shares in the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 55.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 2,897,636 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $663,037,000 after buying an additional 1,034,258 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 218.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,369,805 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $302,494,000 after buying an additional 939,455 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 982.3% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 886,164 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $195,692,000 after buying an additional 804,285 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on WM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.55.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $2,847,055.12. Following the sale, the vice president owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total value of $4,171,464.31. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 44,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,674,944.26. The trade was a 28.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.0%

Waste Management stock opened at $238.61 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.57. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $229.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. Analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 49.25%.

Waste Management Company Profile

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.