61,675 Shares in Waste Management, Inc. $WM Purchased by OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 61,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $13,551,000. Waste Management accounts for 1.5% of OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Waste Management by 55.3% during the fourth quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. RHL Group LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $214.40 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $221.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.03, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.45. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a dividend of $0.945 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 54.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.30.

Waste Management Profile

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.