Bill Few Associates Inc. Has $661,000 Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Bill Few Associates Inc. decreased its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,276 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $661,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Waste Management by 4,000.0% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 892.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. General Partner Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the second quarter worth about $36,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Waste Management news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of Waste Management 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE WM opened at $211.57 on Thursday. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $183.00 and a fifty-two week high of $230.39. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $213.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $211.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.92 billion, a PE ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.77.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.88% and a net margin of 12.35%. The company had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.63 EPS. Waste Management’s revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 45.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WM. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. CIBC increased their price target on Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Scotiabank started coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Friday, October 4th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 target price on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.