Hantz Financial Services Inc. Purchases 32,464 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• Hantz Financial Services increased its Waste Management stake by 90.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 32,464 additional shares. The firm now owns 68,475 shares worth about $15.0 million.
• Waste Management recently reported better-than-expected earnings, posting $1.81 EPS versus $1.75 expected, while revenue came in at $6.23 billion. Quarterly revenue also rose 3.5% from a year earlier.
• The company declared a quarterly $0.945 dividend, equal to $3.78 annually and a yield of about 1.7%. Analysts remain generally positive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a target price of $255.67.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 90.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,475 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 32,464 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in Waste Management were worth $15,045,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Intermede Investment Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at $51,577,000. Praxis Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $757,000. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in Waste Management by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 54,355 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $11,947,000 after acquiring an additional 8,455 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Waste Management by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,331 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $7,763,000 after purchasing an additional 2,338 shares during the period. Finally, Shelter Rock Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,105,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM stock opened at $218.09 on Monday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $227.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $223.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.58 billion, a PE ratio of 31.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.49.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.23 billion during 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 617 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.13, for a total transaction of $150,628.21. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,607 shares in the company, valued at $2,345,356.91. This represents a 6.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 7,979 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.07, for a total transaction of $1,955,413.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 98,656 shares in the company, valued at $24,177,625.92. This represents a 7.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 35,296 shares of company stock worth $8,569,283 over the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WM. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Waste Management from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $255.67.

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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