SageGuard Financial Group LLC Cuts Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

SageGuard Financial Group LLC trimmed its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 20.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,326 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,339 shares during the period. SageGuard Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $4,901,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Waste Management by 51.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,384,000 after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. Sprott Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 1st quarter valued at $325,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 272,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $62,339,000 after purchasing an additional 20,122 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 68.2% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 366,416 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $83,843,000 after buying an additional 148,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust co grew its position in Waste Management by 5.1% during the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,338 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $764,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

WM opened at $226.12 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $220.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.99. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $194.11 and a twelve month high of $248.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The company has a market capitalization of $90.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.72, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.45.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were given a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 54.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $255.30.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) is a leading provider of integrated waste management and environmental services in North America. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span collection, transfer, disposal and recycling, along with landfill operations and related infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Waste Management serves a broad customer base that includes residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Core services include curbside and commercial waste collection, roll-off and temporary container services, materials recovery and recycling, and engineered landfill disposal.