Counterweight Ventures LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Counterweight Ventures LLC cut its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,762 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 55 shares during the period. Counterweight Ventures LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 62.9% during the second quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 171 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the second quarter worth $36,000. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the second quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 67.2% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 199 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Waste Management to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $226.11.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $217.01 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $211.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.78. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $168.73 and a twelve month high of $226.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The company has a market capitalization of $87.10 billion, a PE ratio of 33.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.74.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.07. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.88%. The company had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.63 earnings per share. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $834,946.25. This represents a 7.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waste Management 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.