Community Financial Services Group LLC Buys 1,575 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Community Financial Services Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 7.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,565 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares during the period. Community Financial Services Group LLC's holdings in Waste Management were worth $5,224,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WM. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 69.0% in the 1st quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 120 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 87.6% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 197 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.81, for a total transaction of $159,609.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 16,542 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,917,311.02. This represents a 3.91% decrease in their position. 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.36, for a total value of $13,740,295.68. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly 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.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock traded up $1.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $228.14. 2,895,650 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,625,065. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $233.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.66. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $196.59 and a one year high of $242.58.

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

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WM has been the subject of several research reports. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. HSBC raised shares of Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $210.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $229.00 target price on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer raised 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $251.00.

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.