Aspiriant LLC Acquires 96 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Aspiriant LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 4.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,226 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the quarter. Aspiriant LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $474,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sachetta LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on WM. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $211.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $207.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. CIBC lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $207.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $214.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $217.61.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $212.61 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $149.71 and a 52-week high of $214.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $207.78 and a 200 day moving average of $199.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.27 billion, a PE ratio of 34.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $5.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.98% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th were paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 4,208 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 45,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,324,156.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.