Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Sold by Douglas Lane & Associates LLC

Douglas Lane & Associates LLC cut its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,678 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WM. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Waste Management by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,240,429 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $854,446,000 after purchasing an additional 280,455 shares in the last quarter. Trium Capital LLP grew its position in Waste Management by 33.6% during the third quarter. Trium Capital LLP now owns 12,031 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,498,000 after buying an additional 3,029 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 77.4% in the third quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 12,298 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,553,000 after acquiring an additional 5,367 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 480,534 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $99,759,000 after acquiring an additional 28,266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 417.3% during the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 3,471 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $720,000 after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $834,946.25. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Waste Management Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of WM stock opened at $206.28 on Thursday. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $177.38 and a twelve month high of $230.39. The stock has a market cap of $82.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.54, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $215.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $211.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.07. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.88%. The business had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.63 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WM. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Waste Management from $230.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. CIBC lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, William Blair began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.72.

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.