Inceptionr LLC Takes $1.72 Million Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Inceptionr LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 7,810 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,716,000. Waste Management accounts for about 0.5% of Inceptionr LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gilpin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $795,000. Saturna Capital Corp increased its holdings in Waste Management by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 163,631 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $35,951,000 after buying an additional 37,082 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 6,683 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,468,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Signet Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth $418,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 32.3% during the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 713 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $224.47 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $90.14 billion, a PE ratio of 32.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $223.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.93. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $0.945 dividend. 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 (DPR) is currently 54.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on WM. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. 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. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.30.

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.