Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Decreases Stock Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB decreased its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 65.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,540 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 10,271 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter worth $1,583,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,092,000. Guerra Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 59.5% during the third quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 9,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,996,000 after acquiring an additional 3,371 shares in the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 537.0% during the third quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,721 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $21,138,000 after acquiring an additional 80,695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 19.1% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 69,287 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,301,000 after acquiring an additional 11,135 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM stock opened at $233.89 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The firm has a market cap of $94.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.57. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $231.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $220.66.

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

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.945 dividend. 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. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $254.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% 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 the SEC website. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total value of $29,677.67. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,293 shares in the company, valued at $2,279,294.11. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.