Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Stock Position Reduced by Banco Santander S.A.

Banco Santander S.A. lowered its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 118,123 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 10,350 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $23,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Camden National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 1,208 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its position in Waste Management by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 444,035 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $95,308,000 after acquiring an additional 36,348 shares in the last quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 79.8% during the 4th quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. now owns 10,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,200,000 after purchasing an additional 4,839 shares during the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,389 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,491,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bradyco Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth $575,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE WM opened at $229.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The firm has a market cap of $92.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.75, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a 50 day moving average of $218.22 and a 200-day moving average of $214.73. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.59 and a 1-year high of $235.81.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 48.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total transaction of $46,094.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,999,506.30. This represents a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 191 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.22, for a total transaction of $42,062.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,349,728.38. The trade was a 3.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 75,173 shares of company stock valued at $17,075,967 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on WM. CIBC upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.65.

About Waste Management

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.