SageGuard Financial Group LLC Makes New $5.86 Million Investment in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• SageGuard Financial Group LLC established a new position in Waste Management by acquiring 26,665 shares valued at approximately $5.86 million in the fourth quarter.
• Company insiders have been net sellers, offloading 98,042 shares worth about $23.04 million over the past 90 days, leaving insiders with roughly 0.18% ownership.
• Analysts are broadly positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $255.64, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78, yield ~1.7%).

SageGuard Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 26,665 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,858,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 101.5% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,406,483.52. This trade represents a 66.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total transaction of $1,024,873.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 99,929 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,320,720.02. This trade represents a 4.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group upgraded Waste Management from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $250.00 target price (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $255.64.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.2%

WM opened at $224.39 on Tuesday. 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 company's 50 day simple moving average is $233.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $222.17. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $194.11 and a 1-year high of $248.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.54.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The company had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.70 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.945 dividend. This is a boost from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is 56.42%.

About Waste Management

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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