Great Diamond Partners LLC Has $3.87 Million Stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Great Diamond Partners LLC lessened its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 14.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,637 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,217 shares during the period. Waste Management makes up about 1.0% of Great Diamond Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Great Diamond Partners LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $3,869,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WM. Trium Capital LLP grew its position in Waste Management by 33.6% in the third quarter. Trium Capital LLP now owns 12,031 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,498,000 after acquiring an additional 3,029 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in Waste Management by 77.4% during the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 12,298 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,553,000 after purchasing an additional 5,367 shares in the last quarter. Pinkerton Retirement Specialists LLC boosted its position in Waste Management by 18.6% in the first quarter. Pinkerton Retirement Specialists LLC now owns 20,099 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,284,000 after buying an additional 3,145 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter worth $7,146,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 417.3% during the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 3,471 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $720,000 after buying an additional 2,800 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Up 5.2 %

NYSE WM opened at $219.11 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $161.60 and a 52 week high of $225.00. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $209.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $208.67. The company has a market cap of $87.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.74.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.51 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.13% and a return on equity of 39.52%. Waste Management’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.63 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Waste Management from $215.00 to $204.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, October 4th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $213.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. William Blair initiated coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $218.89.

About Waste Management

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.