Waste Management, Inc. $WM Holdings Raised by Oak Thistle LLC

Oak Thistle LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 305.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,641 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,005 shares during the quarter. Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,459,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM opened at $231.56 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $93.30 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.54. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $248.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $232.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.67.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its 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). The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The business’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.70 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $254.59.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 30,390 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.36, for a total value of $7,000,640.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 225,793 shares in the company, valued at $52,013,675.48. This trade represents a 11.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total transaction of $1,724,044.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at $3,644,130. This trade represents a 32.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.