Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Sold by Fulcrum Asset Management LLP

Fulcrum Asset Management LLP trimmed its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 43.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,689 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,557 shares during the quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,035,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.3% during the third quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $851,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Clean Yield Group boosted its stake in Waste Management by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 801 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $177,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Mendel Money Management grew its position in Waste Management by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 2,903 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $641,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Canton Hathaway LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Canton Hathaway LLC now owns 9,644 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,130,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 3,631 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $802,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total transaction of $1,724,044.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,644,130. This trade represents a 32.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $2,847,055.12. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. This trade represents a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Waste Management Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $236.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $95.19 billion, a PE ratio of 35.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $230.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $220.47. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $248.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.70 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 56.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WM shares. DZ Bank started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup reduced their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, UBS Group raised Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.55.

Waste Management Company Profile

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.