Wolf Group Capital Advisors Makes New $1.26 Million Investment in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Wolf Group Capital Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 5,461 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,264,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. West Branch Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 69.0% in the first quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 120 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE WM traded down $1.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $233.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,076,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,614,535. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $223.88. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.59 and a 52-week high of $242.58. The stock has a market cap of $93.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.16, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion for 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.75 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Waste Management's payout ratio is 49.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on WM shares. Scotiabank increased their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Melius Research upgraded Waste Management to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $263.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 9th. CIBC upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. HSBC upgraded shares of Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $210.00 to $265.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $260.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $248.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.81, for a total value of $159,609.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 16,542 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,917,311.02. This trade represents a 3.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 83,934 shares in the company, valued at $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. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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.