1,657 Shares in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Purchased by Advisor Resource Council

Advisor Resource Council bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,657 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $384,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WM. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 69.0% during the 1st quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 120 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 87.6% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 197 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock traded down $1.72 during trading on Thursday, hitting $226.86. 2,039,155 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,620,530. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.59 and a 1 year high of $242.58. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $233.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.22, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.66.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.08. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.67% and a return on equity of 35.67%. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.75 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.77%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.81, for a total transaction of $159,609.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 16,542 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,917,311.02. This trade represents a 3.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.36, for a total transaction of $13,740,295.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 83,934 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,922,574.24. The trade was a 40.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. HSBC raised shares of Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, CIBC increased their target price on Waste Management from $244.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $250.71.

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.