Harbour Capital Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Harbour Capital Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 12,556 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 147 shares during the quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,532,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WM. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,130 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $857,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,239 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 4.1% during the third quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 1,233 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Werlinich Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Werlinich Asset Management LLC now owns 4,385 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $910,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock traded down $0.23 on Monday, reaching $207.02. 683,621 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,643,916. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $180.17 and a twelve month high of $230.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $214.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $211.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.65, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.77.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.51 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.88% and a net margin of 12.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.63 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 45.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $834,946.25. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WM shares. Argus raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com cut Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.72.

About Waste Management

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.