Counterweight Ventures LLC Has $1.45 Million Stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Counterweight Ventures LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 6,817 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 68 shares during the period. Counterweight Ventures LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,577 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $336,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Waste Management by 29.7% in the 1st quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 214 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,273 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $911,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX increased its holdings in Waste Management by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX now owns 4,256 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $907,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GYL Financial Synergies LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. GYL Financial Synergies LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $204.73 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $209.43 and a 200 day moving average of $208.73. The company has a market capitalization of $82.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.51, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $149.71 and a 1-year 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82. The company had revenue of $5.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.43 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.52% and a net margin of 12.13%. Waste Management’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.51 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 49.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of the business’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 sale, the vice president now owns 44,144 shares in the company, valued at $9,711,680. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WM shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Waste Management from $215.00 to $204.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, June 14th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Waste Management from $215.00 to $213.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $241.00 target price for the company. Finally, CIBC reduced their target price on Waste Management from $223.00 to $213.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.83.

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.