Faithward Advisors LLC Decreases Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• Faithward Advisors LLC sharply reduced its stake in Waste Management, cutting holdings by 78.7% in the fourth quarter and ending with 4,608 shares valued at about $1.0 million.
• Waste Management delivered a solid quarterly report, posting earnings of $1.81 per share, above analyst expectations, while revenue rose 3.5% year over year to $6.23 billion.
• The company continues to support income investors with a quarterly dividend of $0.945 per share, equal to a 1.7% annualized yield; analysts remain moderately bullish with an average target price of $255.30.

Faithward Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 78.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,608 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 16,999 shares during the period. Faithward Advisors LLC's holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,013,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WM. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,022,916,000. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 218.3% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,369,805 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $302,494,000 after buying an additional 939,455 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP grew its position in Waste Management by 163.7% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,400,701 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $309,317,000 after acquiring an additional 869,453 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Waste Management by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,436,462 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $8,487,924,000 after acquiring an additional 774,255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its position in Waste Management by 3,209.2% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 681,366 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $150,466,000 after acquiring an additional 660,776 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of WM stock opened at $218.73 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $87.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.45. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13. The business's 50 day moving average price is $222.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered Waste Management from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $255.30.

Trending Headlines about Waste Management

Here are the key news stories impacting Waste Management this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Commentary today reiterated that WM’s irreplaceable physical network supports predictable, inflation-protected cash flow, reinforcing the stock’s appeal as a long-term “forever” holding. Why This Once-in-a-Decade Selloff Makes One Waste Management Company a Forever Stock
• Positive Sentiment: WM also reinforced its brand and operational discipline by updating its Recycle Right® guidance to warn customers not to place batteries in recycling or trash bins, a move that highlights safety focus and could help reduce facility fire risk. WM Updates Recycle Right® Rules: No Batteries in Recycling or Trash
• Neutral Sentiment: Several items referenced capital-markets activity around Waste Management entities, including debt issuance in Canada, which may support financing flexibility but does not appear to be a major stock-moving catalyst for WM’s core U.S. operations. Waste Management eyes selling $750 million in bonds
• Negative Sentiment: WM shares have recently softened amid a broader selloff in industrials and a market session where the stock fell while the wider market rose, suggesting some near-term profit-taking or valuation pressure. Waste Management (WM) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

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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