Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Purchased by Y.D. More Investments Ltd

Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 2,355.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,186 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,486 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $3,776,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WM. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 101.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter worth $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in Waste Management during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $235.23 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $221.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.11, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.54. 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 quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89.

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). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The business had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.70 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Waste Management news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total transaction of $1,165,136.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 78,918 shares in the company, valued at $19,084,739.94. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on WM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. 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. UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $254.59.

Waste Management 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.