Robeco Schweiz AG Boosts Stake in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• Robeco Schweiz AG increased its Q4 stake in Waste Management by 3.2% to 309,312 shares (about $67.96M), making WM its 22nd-largest holding; institutional investors now own roughly 80.4% of the stock.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently — CEO James C. Fish Jr. sold 30,390 shares and SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares, with insiders offloading 92,616 shares worth $21.85M over the past 90 days.
• Operational and market highlights: Waste Management beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.81 vs. $1.75) with revenue up 3.5% year-over-year, raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annual $3.78, 1.7% yield), and carries an average analyst price target around $255.67 (Moderate Buy).

Robeco Schweiz AG grew its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 309,312 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 9,451 shares during the period. Waste Management accounts for 1.5% of Robeco Schweiz AG's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Robeco Schweiz AG owned approximately 0.08% of Waste Management worth $67,959,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ponta Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $380,000. Fire Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Fire Capital Management LLC now owns 3,828 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $841,000 after buying an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 887.7% in the fourth quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 11,378 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,500,000 after buying an additional 10,226 shares during the last quarter. Indivisible Partners purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $293,000. Finally, Ballast Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Ballast Advisors LLC now owns 1,579 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total transaction of $1,724,044.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,644,130. This represents a 32.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 30,390 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.36, for a total transaction of $7,000,640.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 225,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,013,675.48. This trade represents a 11.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 92,616 shares of company stock worth $21,849,115. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of WM opened at $220.75 on Thursday. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13. The company's fifty day moving average is $232.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.87. The firm has a market cap of $88.65 billion, a PE ratio of 31.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.945 dividend. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.