GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 17.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 30,577 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,607 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $7,026,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Bey Douglas LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Bey Douglas LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,922 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $422,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,341,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,398 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $527,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $222.83 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $220.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.88. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $194.11 and a 52 week high of $248.13. The company has a market capitalization of $89.48 billion, a PE ratio of 32.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.45.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays increased their price target on Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.30.

Waste Management 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.