136,478 Shares in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Acquired by Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 136,478 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $27,540,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WM. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Waste Management by 65.7% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 174 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE:WM traded up $3.33 on Friday, reaching $241.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,439,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,665,314. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $230.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $222.68. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.59 and a 12-month high of $241.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The firm has a market cap of $97.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.67.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.75 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WM shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on 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 price target for the company from $210.00 to $265.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. CIBC boosted their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Waste Management to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $247.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 83,934 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,922,574.24. The trade was a 40.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John J. Morris sold 19,153 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.71, for a total transaction of $4,303,870.63. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 85,257 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,158,100.47. The trade was a 18.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 87,947 shares of company stock valued at $20,536,508 in the last ninety days. 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.