Equitable Trust Co. Lowers Stock Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Equitable Trust Co. cut its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,947 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,200,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quilter Plc boosted its position in Waste Management by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 102,904 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $20,765,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares during the period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Waste Management by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 562 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $97,000. MBA Advisors LLC boosted its position in Waste Management by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. MBA Advisors LLC now owns 1,633 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $626,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

NYSE WM opened at $225.95 on Tuesday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.48 and a 52 week high of $230.39. 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 stock has a market cap of $90.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $211.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $211.35.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 38.88%. Analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.12%.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 560 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.11, for a total value of $123,261.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,152 shares in the company, valued at $2,014,446.72. This represents a 5.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.89, for a total value of $903,560.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 18,531 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,185,967.59. This represents a 17.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 16,055 shares of company stock valued at $3,578,340 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the subject of a number of research reports. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $234.50.

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.