Stephens Inc. AR Has $28.13 Million Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Stephens Inc. AR cut its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 8.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 121,517 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 11,820 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Waste Management were worth $28,132,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Security Advisor Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 3.5% in the first quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 119,796 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $27,734,000 after acquiring an additional 4,074 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the first quarter worth $205,000. Nikulski Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.8% in the first quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc. now owns 12,708 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,942,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 16.5% in the first quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 8,686 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,011,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $229.00 target price on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Melius Research upgraded Waste Management to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $263.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Melius assumed coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Monday, June 9th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Waste Management to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "neutral" 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $251.29.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 16,542 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,917,311.02. This trade represents a 3.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 83,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,922,574.24. This represents a 40.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.0%

Waste Management stock traded up $2.28 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $228.29. The company had a trading volume of 402,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,631,213. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65. The stock has a market cap of $91.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.41, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a fifty day moving average of $232.28 and a 200 day moving average of $225.87. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.59 and a 1 year high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.14 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 35.67% and a net margin of 11.67%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.75 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were given a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.77%.

Waste Management Company 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.