Ethic Inc. Has $4.48 Million Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Ethic Inc. raised its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 21.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,174 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,954 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Waste Management were worth $4,475,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WM. Fiduciary Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 14,423 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,911,000 after acquiring an additional 2,029 shares during the last quarter. Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,725,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waste Management by 71.7% during the fourth quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 243,847 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $49,206,000 after purchasing an additional 101,794 shares in the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 292,967 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $59,118,000 after buying an additional 68,717 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in Waste Management by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,104,650 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $424,697,000 after purchasing an additional 16,739 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 44,405 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total transaction of $10,143,434.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,061 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,212,664.23. The trade was a 17.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 5,732 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.51, for a total transaction of $1,304,087.32. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 55,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,646,598.37. This represents a 9.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 79,522 shares of company stock worth $18,084,124 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of WM traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $222.07. The company had a trading volume of 2,175,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,660,176. The company's 50 day moving average price is $228.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.37. The stock has a market cap of $89.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.66, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.67. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.59 and a 52 week high of $239.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.08. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 37.93%. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.75 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on WM shares. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $260.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. HSBC raised Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $243.29.

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.