National Pension Service Has $208.03 Million Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its stake in Waste Management by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 946,830 shares valued at about $208.0 million.
• Waste Management reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.81 per share, topping estimates, though revenue of $6.23 billion came in slightly below forecasts.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.945 per share, while analysts currently hold a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target price of $255.67.

National Pension Service grew its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 946,830 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 50,738 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.24% of Waste Management worth $208,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WM. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 218.3% in the third 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 during the period. Holocene Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 163.7% in the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,400,701 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $309,317,000 after buying an additional 869,453 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 2.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,436,462 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,487,924,000 after buying an additional 774,255 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 3,209.2% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 681,366 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $150,466,000 after buying an additional 660,776 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 247.5% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 868,780 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $198,799,000 after buying an additional 618,792 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $255.67.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $211.32 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $248.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock's 50-day moving average is $224.81 and its 200 day moving average is $224.04. The firm has a market cap of $84.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.58, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.49.

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

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 54.70%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total value of $1,165,136.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 78,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,084,739.94. This represents a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 617 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.13, for a total value of $150,628.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,345,356.91. The trade was a 6.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 35,222 shares of company stock worth $8,552,294 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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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