Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Stock Position Boosted by Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 277,291 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 8,689 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Waste Management worth $59,105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WM. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 8.5% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 28,912 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,407,000 after acquiring an additional 2,272 shares in the last quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,321 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 1.0% during the third quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 22,662 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,455,000 after buying an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Waste Management by 93.0% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 46,613 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $8,348,000 after buying an additional 22,455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 13,927.7% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 504,296 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $90,319,000 after buying an additional 500,701 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.58, for a total transaction of $153,899.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 75,204 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,934,010.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.50, for a total value of $523,750.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 29,677 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,217,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 775 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.58, for a total value of $153,899.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,204 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,934,010.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,007 shares of company stock worth $3,696,520. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of WM stock traded down $1.31 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $206.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,366,425 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,678,823. The firm's 50-day moving average is $208.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.17. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $149.71 and a 1-year high of $214.54. The company has a market cap of $82.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.83, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.23. Waste Management had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 11.98%. The firm had revenue of $5.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.22 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. Waste Management's payout ratio is 49.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Waste Management from $211.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Waste Management from $215.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $216.24.

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.

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