Waste Management, Inc. $WM Stock: Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Holdings

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 3.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 79,559 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,431 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $16,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 28,141 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,309,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.8% in the third quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 67,388 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $13,742,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the period. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 6.2% during the third quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 10,304 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,101,000 after purchasing an additional 605 shares during the last quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter worth approximately $226,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 3.0% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 97,327 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $19,847,000 after purchasing an additional 2,873 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE WM opened at $229.63 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The business’s 50 day moving average is $216.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.19. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.53, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.42.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.71 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.68% and a net margin of 11.11%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.92 EPS. Research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.09 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.9450 per share. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.54%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, CAO John Carroll sold 1,365 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.90, for a total value of $300,163.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $771,629.10. This represents a 28.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WM shares. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $240.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $256.06.

Trending Headlines about Waste Management

Here are the key news stories impacting Waste Management this week:

• Positive Sentiment: WM rose 2.35% to $231.73 in the latest session, outperforming the broader market that day and signaling continued investor support for the defensive waste-services business. Waste Management Beats Stock Market Upswing
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish investment thesis argues that Waste Management can benefit from the essential nature of trash collection, pricing power and long-term demand for environmental services, supporting the stock’s defensive appeal. Waste Management: Turn America’s Trash Into Your Treasure
• Neutral Sentiment: WM is scheduled to report quarterly results next week. Wall Street expects earnings growth, making the upcoming report and management’s guidance the primary near-term catalysts for the stock. Waste Management Expected to Release Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite strong recent performance relative to its prior close, the shares have traded near $225 since April and have lagged the S&P 500’s advance, suggesting limited momentum beyond the latest market-driven gain. Waste Management Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q2 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks reports that WM lacks the combination of factors typically associated with a likely earnings beat in next week’s report. That raises the risk of a disappointing result or cautious outlook, particularly given the stock’s elevated valuation. Waste Management Reports Next Week
• Negative Sentiment: A reported pre-market indication of EUR 206.55 points to weaker trading in that market, although the currency and market differences make it an imperfect comparison with WM’s U.S. listing. Waste Management Stock Pre-Market

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc, doing business as WM (NYSE:WM), is an environmental services company that provides waste collection, transportation, disposal, recycling and resource-recovery services. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers through a network of collection operations, transfer stations, landfills, recycling facilities and other environmental infrastructure.

WM’s services include curbside and commercial waste collection, construction and demolition debris management, recycling, organics processing and landfill disposal.