Clarius Group LLC Decreases Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Clarius Group LLC cut its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 2.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,247 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 61 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $470,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 1st quarter valued at $300,594,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 44.6% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,226,869 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $900,957,000 after acquiring an additional 1,303,466 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 1st quarter valued at $193,955,000. Wulff Hansen & CO. grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 20,402.6% during the 2nd quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 868,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $185,196,000 after acquiring an additional 863,846 shares during the period. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 85.6% during the 2nd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 1,561,939 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $333,234,000 after acquiring an additional 720,358 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.3 %

WM opened at $211.81 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $207.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $208.48. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $153.95 and a 52 week high of $225.00. The company has a market capitalization of $84.95 billion, a PE ratio of 34.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.82. The firm had revenue of $5.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.43 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.13% and a return on equity of 39.52%. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.51 EPS. Analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 49.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $330,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 44,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,711,680. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $213.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $229.00 to $224.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, CIBC dropped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $223.00 to $213.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.89.

Waste Management Company Profile

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.