Unigestion Holding SA Lowers Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Unigestion Holding SA decreased its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 13.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 108,545 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 17,186 shares during the quarter. Waste Management accounts for approximately 1.5% of Unigestion Holding SA's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in Waste Management were worth $25,122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 65.7% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 174 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WM has been the subject of several research reports. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Waste Management to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. National Bank Financial upgraded Waste Management to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 26th. CIBC increased their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $265.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $247.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.81, for a total value of $159,609.94. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John J. Morris sold 19,153 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.71, for a total transaction of $4,303,870.63. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 85,257 shares in the company, valued at $19,158,100.47. This represents a 18.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 78,966 shares of company stock valued at $18,486,402 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Trading Down 0.2%

Waste Management stock traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $238.37. 1,040,052 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,635,022. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $231.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $223.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.59 and a 12 month high of $242.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.05, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.67.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 37.93%. Waste Management's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.75 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Waste Management's payout ratio is 49.77%.

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.