Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Stock Holdings Increased by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 567,102 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 45,965 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $114,436,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in Waste Management by 67.2% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,765,594 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $366,537,000 after purchasing an additional 709,678 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its holdings in Waste Management by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,741,090 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $361,450,000 after acquiring an additional 122,696 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Waste Management by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,077 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $431,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 26.6% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,464 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,172,000 after buying an additional 2,198 shares during the period. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth $153,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $225.06 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $90.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.59 and a 1 year high of $235.81. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $220.52 and a 200 day moving average of $215.26.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 48.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WM. CIBC upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $236.65.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total value of $46,094.95. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,999,506.30. This represents a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.96, for a total transaction of $29,135.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,995,045.36. The trade was a 1.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 95,577 shares of company stock valued at $21,662,464. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.