HF Advisory Group LLC Raises Stake in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 705% in Q4, adding 25,830 shares to hold 29,494 shares valued at about $6.48 million.
• Significant insider selling: two VPs sold large blocks (17,251 and 12,194 shares) and insiders have offloaded a total of 98,042 shares worth $23.04 million in the past 90 days.
• Dividend raised to $0.945 quarterly (from $0.83), or $3.78 annualized with a 1.6% yield; meanwhile Q4 results showed an EPS of $1.93 (missed consensus of $1.95) with revenue up 7.1% year-over-year.

HF Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 705.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 29,494 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 25,830 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Waste Management were worth $6,480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 51.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,384,000 after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares in the last quarter. Sprott Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $325,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in Waste Management during the second quarter valued at $40,000. Lido Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 15.7% in the second quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 22,079 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,052,000 after acquiring an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 5.2% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 7,684 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,758,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total value of $4,171,464.31. Following the sale, the vice president owned 44,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. This represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $2,847,055.12. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at $1,406,483.52. The trade was a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of WM opened at $231.02 on Thursday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $232.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $221.04. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $248.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.54.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. Waste Management's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.945 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Waste Management's payout ratio is presently 56.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WM. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $250.00 price target (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $254.59.

Waste Management 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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