Tredje AP fonden Boosts Stock Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Tredje AP fonden raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 18.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 295,630 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,163 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $64,953,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 101.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on WM. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.67.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.3%

NYSE:WM opened at $222.78 on Tuesday. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $228.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.12.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.70%.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total value of $4,171,464.31. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 44,146 shares in the company, valued at $10,674,944.26. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total transaction of $1,165,136.94. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 78,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,084,739.94. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 35,296 shares of company stock valued at $8,569,283 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.