Silver Oak Securities Incorporated Buys 3,531 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 69.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,650 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,531 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated's holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,972,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. West Branch Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 69.0% during the first quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 120 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $233.14 on Thursday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.59 and a 1-year high of $242.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65. The stock has a market cap of $93.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.66. The stock's 50-day moving average is $232.89 and its 200-day moving average is $223.95.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.08. Waste Management had a return on equity of 35.67% and a net margin of 11.67%. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.75 EPS. The business's revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on WM shares. Seaport Res Ptn raised Waste Management to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group increased their target price on Waste Management from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Waste Management from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $225.00 to $277.00 in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $248.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.81, for a total transaction of $159,609.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 16,542 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,917,311.02. This represents a 3.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.36, for a total transaction of $13,740,295.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 83,934 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,922,574.24. This trade represents 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.

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.

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