Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Purchased by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,633,710 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 177,398 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.66% of Waste Management worth $531,456,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Waste Management by 65.7% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 174 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock traded up $3.69 on Monday, reaching $237.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,503,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,662,559. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $229.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $222.28. The company has a market capitalization of $95.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.85, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.67. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.59 and a 52-week high of $239.32.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. The firm's revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.75 EPS. Analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on WM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Waste Management from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $277.00 in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Waste Management from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $247.06.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 1,251 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.92, for a total value of $282,625.92. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,420 shares in the company, valued at $1,902,246.40. This represents a 12.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 124 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.96, for a total value of $29,135.04. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,995,045.36. This trade represents a 1.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 29,385 shares of company stock valued at $6,636,603. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management 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.