Hantz Financial Services Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 90.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 68,475 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,464 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $15,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WM. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Waste Management by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,990,067 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,566,508,000 after buying an additional 553,605 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,668,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,250,613,000 after acquiring an additional 277,250 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,954,519 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $873,276,000 after acquiring an additional 11,688 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,530,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $781,494,000 after acquiring an additional 236,439 shares during the period. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 3,262,148 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $720,380,000 after purchasing an additional 364,512 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of WM opened at $218.09 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $227.00 and its 200 day moving average is $223.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13. The company has a market capitalization of $87.58 billion, a PE ratio of 31.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.49.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The business had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.28 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 54.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $255.67.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total transaction of $29,677.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,279,294.11. This represents a 1.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total value of $1,024,873.18. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 99,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,320,720.02. The trade was a 4.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 35,296 shares of company stock worth $8,569,283 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) is a leading provider of integrated waste management and environmental services in North America. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span collection, transfer, disposal and recycling, along with landfill operations and related infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Waste Management serves a broad customer base that includes residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Core services include curbside and commercial waste collection, roll-off and temporary container services, materials recovery and recycling, and engineered landfill disposal.