Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Acquired by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 4.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,842 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,005,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Logan Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waste Management by 39.0% in the 4th quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,258 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $763,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Waste Management by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 72,531 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,990,000 after purchasing an additional 3,497 shares during the period. Northwest Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Northwest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,578 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. First Financial Bankshares Inc purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at $352,000. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at $1,145,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $330,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 44,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,711,680. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WM shares. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, June 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $213.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. William Blair began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank initiated coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 price objective for the company. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $218.89.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.6 %

WM stock opened at $208.68 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50-day moving average of $206.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $208.45. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.95 and a 52-week high of $225.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.82. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.52% and a net margin of 12.13%. The firm had revenue of $5.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.51 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.24 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 49.10%.

Waste Management 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.