Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Purchased by Empower Advisory Group LLC

Empower Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 462,820 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,368 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC owned 0.11% of Waste Management worth $105,902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 1st quarter worth $37,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter valued at about $38,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the second quarter worth about $43,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the first quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its stake in Waste Management by 381.0% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 202 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $208.97 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $212.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.42. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $242.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.62.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.51 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. Waste Management has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 51.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WM shares. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Friday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $238.00 target price for the company. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Waste Management from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $248.25.

Waste Management Company Profile

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.