Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Acquired by Axa S.A.

Axa S.A. boosted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.3% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 242,297 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 701 shares during the period. Axa S.A.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $51,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 170.5% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 119 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Fairway Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 62.9% during the second quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 171 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $207.69 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $208.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $208.70. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $149.71 and a 52-week high of $225.00. The firm has a market cap of $83.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.99, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.74.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.52% and a net margin of 12.13%. The business had revenue of $5.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.51 EPS. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $330,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 44,144 shares in the company, valued at $9,711,680. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WM shares. StockNews.com lowered Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Waste Management from $226.00 to $216.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. CIBC cut their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $223.00 to $213.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Waste Management to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.83.

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.