Aprio Wealth Management LLC Has $1.44 Million Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• Aprio Wealth Management increased its stake in Waste Management by 357.8% in Q4, owning 6,533 shares worth about $1.435 million after adding 5,106 shares.
• Waste Management slightly missed Q4 estimates (EPS $1.93 vs. $1.95; revenue $6.31B vs. $6.39B) but revenue rose 7.1% year-over-year, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78, yield 1.7%).
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a $255.19 price target, while insiders have sold roughly 98,042 shares worth about $23 million in the past 90 days.

Aprio Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 357.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,533 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,106 shares during the quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,435,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 101.5% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.4%

NYSE:WM opened at $226.29 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $91.18 billion, a PE ratio of 33.77, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.54. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $222.48.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.70 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is a boost from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is 56.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on WM. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group upgraded Waste Management from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $255.19.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at $1,406,483.52. This trade represents a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total value of $4,171,464.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 44,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. This represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Waste Management Company Profile

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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