Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Cuts Stake in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC reduced its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.4% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 13,249 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 51 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $3,031,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WM. Westend Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 126.9% in the first quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter valued at $37,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter valued at $38,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 381.0% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 202 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM opened at $214.56 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.51. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $219.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $227.16. The stock has a market cap of $86.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.83, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.64. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $199.69 and a 52 week high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $6.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.37 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 34.37% and a net margin of 11.36%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. Waste Management has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th were given a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 12th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $256.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Erste Group Bank downgraded Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Barclays lowered their price target on Waste Management from $272.00 to $271.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Waste Management in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $252.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Waste Management from $265.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.00.

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.