Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Acquired by Focus Partners Wealth

Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 114.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 412,561 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 220,262 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $90,644,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WM. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. RHL Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM stock opened at $219.12 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $87.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $222.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.77. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 54.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on WM shares. Weiss Ratings cut Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Waste Management in a report on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waste Management has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.30.

Waste Management Company 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.