Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Sold by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC trimmed its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 2.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,490 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 184 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 94,414.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,591,584 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $538,013,000 after purchasing an additional 2,588,842 shares in the last quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. lifted its holdings in 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 worth $185,196,000 after buying an additional 863,846 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 67.2% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,765,594 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $366,537,000 after acquiring an additional 709,678 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 248.5% in the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 984,774 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $210,092,000 after acquiring an additional 702,188 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parnassus Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 5,120,772 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,063,072,000 after acquiring an additional 520,096 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE WM opened at $225.01 on Wednesday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $171.15 and a 52-week high of $230.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $215.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $210.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.07. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.88% and a net margin of 12.35%. The business had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.51 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.31 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Argus raised their price objective on Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on Waste Management from $230.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $228.94.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $834,946.25. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.