23,512 Shares in Waste Management, Inc. $WM Purchased by Meiji Yasuda America Inc

Meiji Yasuda America Inc bought a new position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 23,512 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,166,000. Waste Management accounts for about 1.2% of Meiji Yasuda America Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WM. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth about $1,022,916,000. Capital International Investors raised its stake in 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 worth $302,494,000 after purchasing an additional 939,455 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP raised its stake in Waste Management by 163.7% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,400,701 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $309,317,000 after purchasing an additional 869,453 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Waste Management by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,436,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,487,924,000 after purchasing an additional 774,255 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in Waste Management by 3,209.2% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 681,366 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $150,466,000 after purchasing an additional 660,776 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.30.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $218.90 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $223.01 and a 200-day moving average of $224.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.90 billion, a PE ratio of 31.68, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 54.70%.

About Waste Management

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.