Anchyra Partners LLC Invests $1.07 Million in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• Anchyra Partners LLC initiated a new position in Waste Management, buying 4,850 shares worth about $1.07 million in Q4, while institutional investors own roughly 80.40% of the stock.
• Insiders sold heavily: CEO James C. Fish Jr. and SVP Rafael Carrasco were among executives who sold shares, with insiders offloading 98,042 shares valued at about $23.0 million in the past three months, leaving insiders with just 0.18% ownership.
• Dividend and analyst view: Waste Management raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78, yield 1.6%), and analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average price target of $255.19.

Anchyra Partners LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,850 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,066,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Waste Management by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,588 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,922 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $422,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,341,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Old Port Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 16,963 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,727,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC lifted its position in Waste Management by 1.3% in the third quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total transaction of $1,724,044.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,644,130. This trade represents a 32.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 30,390 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.36, for a total value of $7,000,640.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 225,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,013,675.48. This trade represents a 11.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WM. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Waste Management from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $255.19.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE WM opened at $229.64 on Monday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $232.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $222.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $194.11 and a twelve month high of $248.13. The stock has a market cap of $92.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.27, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.54.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. Waste Management's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.14 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. This is an increase from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.42%.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc NYSE: WM is a leading provider of integrated waste management and environmental services in North America. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span collection, transfer, disposal and recycling, along with landfill operations and related infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Waste Management serves a broad customer base that includes residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Core services include curbside and commercial waste collection, roll-off and temporary container services, materials recovery and recycling, and engineered landfill disposal.

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