Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Stock Holdings Lifted by Trust Co. of Vermont

Trust Co. of Vermont raised its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,278 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,157 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $5,065,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Gilfoyle & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 4,208 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.28, for a total transaction of $859,610.24. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 45,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,324,156.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Waste Management from $230.00 to $256.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $211.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $207.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Waste Management from $202.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $217.61.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WM traded up $0.67 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $204.31. The stock had a trading volume of 131,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,708,307. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $207.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $197.44. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $149.71 and a twelve month high of $214.54. The firm has a market cap of $81.94 billion, a PE ratio of 33.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.23.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.23. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.98% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The business had revenue of $5.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.10%.

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.