Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $89.85 Million Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in Waste Management by 3.3% to 406,966 shares, representing about 0.10% of the company and worth roughly $89.85 million.
• Waste Management's most recent quarter missed estimates with EPS of $1.93 versus $1.95 and revenue of $6.31 billion versus $6.39 billion, although revenue was up 7.1% year‑over‑year and analysts forecast about $8.14 EPS for the year.
• The company has a market cap near $89.95 billion and a P/E of 33.32, recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (a 1.7% yield), while insiders sold roughly 98,042 shares (~$23.0M) in the last 90 days and institutional ownership is about 80.4%.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 406,966 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 13,117 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.10% of Waste Management worth $89,853,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WM. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 51.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,384,000 after acquiring an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Sprott Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the 1st quarter worth $325,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in Waste Management by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 272,438 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $62,339,000 after acquiring an additional 20,122 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Waste Management by 68.2% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 366,416 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $83,843,000 after acquiring an additional 148,590 shares during the period. Finally, Glenview Trust co raised its holdings in Waste Management by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,338 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $764,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $223.25 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $232.95 and its 200-day moving average is $222.20. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $89.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.32, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.54.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management's payout ratio is presently 56.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total transaction of $29,677.67. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,279,294.11. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total transaction of $4,171,464.31. Following the sale, the vice president owned 44,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $255.64.

Waste Management 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.

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