Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 39,908 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 480,892 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 39,908 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $105,657,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Waste Management by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,990,067 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,566,508,000 after purchasing an additional 553,605 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Waste Management by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,993,006 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,972,371,000 after purchasing an additional 117,476 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Waste Management by 5.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,668,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,250,613,000 after purchasing an additional 277,250 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth $1,022,916,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Waste Management by 0.3% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,954,519 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $873,276,000 after purchasing an additional 11,688 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $211.32 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $194.11 and a twelve month high of $248.13. The firm has a market cap of $84.86 billion, a PE ratio of 30.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.93. The business has a fifty day moving average of $224.81 and a 200-day moving average of $224.04.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.28 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total value of $29,677.67. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,293 shares in the company, valued at $2,279,294.11. This trade represents a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total value of $1,024,873.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 99,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,320,720.02. The trade was a 4.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 35,222 shares of company stock valued at $8,552,294. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.