Nikulski Financial Inc. Buys 477 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Nikulski Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,484 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 477 shares during the period. Nikulski Financial Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WM. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in Waste Management by 4,000.0% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its holdings in Waste Management by 892.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. General Partner Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at $834,946.25. This represents a 7.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of WM opened at $209.43 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $212.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $211.27. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $183.00 and a 12-month high of $230.39.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.51 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.88%. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Scotiabank started coverage on Waste Management in a report on Friday, October 4th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 4th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $229.72.

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.