Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Stock Position Lessened by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 3.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 380,234 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 13,356 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $78,937,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WM. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 94,414.4% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,591,584 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $538,013,000 after purchasing an additional 2,588,842 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in Waste Management during the first quarter worth about $193,955,000. Wulff Hansen & CO. raised its position in Waste Management by 20,402.6% in the second quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 868,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $185,196,000 after acquiring an additional 863,846 shares in the last quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 85.6% during the 2nd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 1,561,939 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $333,234,000 after purchasing an additional 720,358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 248.5% in the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 984,774 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $210,092,000 after purchasing an additional 702,188 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

WM opened at $224.41 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $212.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $210.10. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $168.73 and a 1 year high of $226.84. The stock has a market cap of $90.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.31, a PEG ratio of 2.36 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 the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.51 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.88% and a net margin of 12.35%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.63 EPS. Analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 45.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was 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 directly owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $834,946.25. The trade was a 7.41 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WM shares. UBS Group raised their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Scotiabank assumed coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 target price on the stock. Argus increased their price target on Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.11.

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.