Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Stake Cut by Stanley Laman Group Ltd.

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,981 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 234 shares during the quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $4,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WM. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Spirit of America Management Corp NY increased its holdings in Waste Management by 66.7% in the third quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 250 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Rational Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 127.3% in the fourth quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 300 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 329 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.56, for a total value of $65,326.24. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,522 shares in the company, valued at $1,096,448.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Waste Management news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 3,275 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.49, for a total value of $653,329.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,262,034.47. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 329 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.56, for a total value of $65,326.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,096,448.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,007 shares of company stock valued at $3,696,520 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

WM stock traded up $2.22 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $212.65. 2,097,044 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,671,379. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. The company has a market cap of $85.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.57, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $208.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.50. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $149.71 and a 1-year high of $214.54.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.23. Waste Management had a return on equity of 36.51% and a net margin of 11.28%. The business had revenue of $5.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 53.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WM shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on Waste Management in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped 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. UBS Group downgraded shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, HSBC downgraded shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $210.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.85.

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.