Graphene Investments SAS Sells 2,200 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Graphene Investments SAS lessened its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 14.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,900 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 2,200 shares during the period. Waste Management accounts for about 2.2% of Graphene Investments SAS's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Graphene Investments SAS's holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,986,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Waste Management Stock Performance

Waste Management stock opened at $226.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of $91.29 billion, a PE ratio of 34.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $233.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.30. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.59 and a fifty-two week high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $1.75 EPS. Waste Management's revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WM. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Waste Management to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Eight investment 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $250.71.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.36, for a total transaction of $13,740,295.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 83,934 shares in the company, valued at $19,922,574.24. This represents a 40.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

About Waste Management

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.

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