Waste Management, Inc. $WM Stake Boosted by Motley Fool Asset Management LLC

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 17.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 37,465 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,652 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $8,231,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. RHL Group LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM opened at $221.12 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $88.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $194.11 and a 1-year high of $248.13. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $223.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.65.

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

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waste Management in a report on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, April 16th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, 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.