Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Holdings Lifted by Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A.

Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. boosted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 2.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 158,627 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,396 shares during the period. Waste Management comprises 2.2% of Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A.'s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A.'s holdings in Waste Management were worth $36,724,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,009,726,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 26,095.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,909,370 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $442,038,000 after purchasing an additional 1,902,081 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $340,611,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 250.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,658,733 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $334,716,000 after purchasing an additional 1,184,905 shares during the period. Finally, Parnassus Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 6,272,009 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,265,629,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151,237 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of WM stock traded down $1.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $236.10. 1,414,057 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,621,764. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.59 and a twelve month high of $242.58. The firm has a market cap of $95.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.66. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $231.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.76.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.08. Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.14 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.75 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. Waste Management's payout ratio is 49.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Waste Management to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. CIBC increased their price target on Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Waste Management from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $248.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.81, for a total value of $159,609.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 16,542 shares in the company, valued at $3,917,311.02. The trade was a 3.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.36, for a total value of $13,740,295.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 83,934 shares in the company, valued at $19,922,574.24. The trade was a 40.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Profile

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.