E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB Buys 2,130 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB grew its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 13.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,967 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,130 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $3,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WM. Activest Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 4,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its holdings in Waste Management by 892.9% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. General Partner Inc. purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total value of $46,094.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,999,506.30. The trade was a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 560 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.11, for a total transaction of $123,261.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,014,446.72. This trade represents a 5.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,653 shares of company stock valued at $364,287. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Waste Management Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $223.89 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $212.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $211.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.86 billion, a PE ratio of 32.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.78. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.20 and a twelve month high of $230.39.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 38.88%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.50.

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.