Clarius Group LLC Has $788,000 Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Clarius Group LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 50.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,402 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,139 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC's holdings in Waste Management were worth $788,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 26,444 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $6,122,000 after buying an additional 741 shares in the last quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 38.9% during the first quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,868 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,127,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management by 1.8% in the first quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,677 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,240,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Chicago Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 5.1% during the first quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 16,786 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,886,000 after purchasing an additional 820 shares during the period. Finally, WD Rutherford LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 1st quarter worth about $1,412,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were 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 now owns 16,542 shares in the company, valued at $3,917,311.02. This trade represents a 3.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.36, for a total transaction of $13,740,295.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 83,934 shares in the company, valued at $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. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.5%

WM stock opened at $233.14 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $93.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $232.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $223.95. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.59 and a 1-year high of $242.58.

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 11.67% and a return on equity of 35.67%. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.75 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Melius Research raised Waste Management to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $263.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Citigroup boosted 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. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Waste Management from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $248.00.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.