HBW Advisory Services LLC Makes New Investment in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

HBW Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,798 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $834,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WM. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in Waste Management by 101.5% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of WM opened at $230.39 on Tuesday. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $233.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.97. The company has a market cap of $92.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.39, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. Waste Management’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.42%.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, COO John J. Morris sold 7,979 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.07, for a total transaction of $1,955,413.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 98,656 shares in the company, valued at $24,177,625.92. The trade was a 7.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total transaction of $4,171,464.31. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 44,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,674,944.26. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WM. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $254.82.

Waste Management 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.