Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Position Raised by Regal Investment Advisors LLC

Regal Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 1.7% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 25,024 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 409 shares during the period. Regal Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $5,339,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 170.5% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 119 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Waste Management by 62.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 171 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the second quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

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

Waste Management Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $205.51 on Monday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $149.71 and a 52-week high of $225.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.43 billion, a PE ratio of 33.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $207.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $208.62.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $5.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.51 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.24 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 49.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waste Management to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Waste Management from $226.00 to $216.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com downgraded Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $229.00 to $224.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.83.

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.