Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Sold by Arjuna Capital

Arjuna Capital trimmed its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 7.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,219 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 2,214 shares during the quarter. Waste Management accounts for 1.7% of Arjuna Capital's portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Arjuna Capital's holdings in Waste Management were worth $6,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WM. Westend Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 126.9% in the first quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 69.0% in the first quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 120 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Adalta Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:WM traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $225.82. The stock had a trading volume of 1,276,413 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,632,686. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $196.59 and a one year high of $242.58. The company has a market capitalization of $90.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.06, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $232.00 and a 200 day moving average of $226.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.14 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 35.67% and a net margin of 11.67%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.75 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th were paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Waste Management's payout ratio is currently 49.77%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.81, for a total value of $159,609.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,542 shares in the company, valued at $3,917,311.02. The trade was a 3.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.36, for a total value of $13,740,295.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 83,934 shares in the company, 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

WM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $229.00 target price on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Waste Management from $260.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $251.29.

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.