BNP Paribas Purchases 2,647 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

BNP Paribas grew its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,843 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,647 shares during the period. BNP Paribas’ holdings in Waste Management were worth $10,293,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 51.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,384,000 after acquiring an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. Sprott Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 1st quarter valued at about $325,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 272,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,339,000 after acquiring an additional 20,122 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 68.2% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 366,416 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $83,843,000 after acquiring an additional 148,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust co lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,338 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $764,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.5%

WM opened at $212.56 on Tuesday. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $248.13. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.27. 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 $85.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.76, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.45.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The firm had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, COO John J. Morris sold 7,979 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.07, for a total transaction of $1,955,413.53. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 98,656 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,177,625.92. This represents a 7.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total value of $29,677.67. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,293 shares in the company, valued at $2,279,294.11. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 12,494 shares of company stock worth $3,054,863 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays boosted their target price on Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.67.

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.