Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Bought by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 2.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 84,752 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,362 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Waste Management were worth $19,621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westend Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 126.9% in the 1st quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 69.0% in the 1st quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 120 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 87.6% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 197 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM stock traded up $3.04 during trading on Friday, hitting $226.43. 1,525,978 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,625,495. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $232.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $225.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $91.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.64. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.08. The company 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%. Waste Management's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.75 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.77%.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.81, for a total transaction of $159,609.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,542 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,917,311.02. This trade 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 this hyperlink. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.36, for a total value of $13,740,295.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 83,934 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,922,574.24. The trade was a 40.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Melius Research raised Waste Management to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $263.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, June 9th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $229.00 price target on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $210.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $251.00.

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.