National Bank of Canada FI Decreases Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

National Bank of Canada FI trimmed its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 278,845 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 70,581 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned 0.07% of Waste Management worth $49,981,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WM. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Rational Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the third quarter worth about $41,000. Annapolis Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Annapolis Financial Services LLC now owns 325 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Waste Management news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 29,677 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,217,331.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Waste Management news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.50, for a total value of $523,750.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,677 shares in the company, valued at $6,217,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 329 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.56, for a total transaction of $65,326.24. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,096,448.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,007 shares of company stock valued at $3,696,520 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.3 %

WM traded up $2.68 during trading on Monday, hitting $210.56. 1,502,012 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,681,530. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $149.71 and a 12-month high of $214.54. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $208.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $189.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.46, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.72.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $5.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. Waste Management's revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. Waste Management's payout ratio is currently 49.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Waste Management from $221.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $211.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. UBS Group downgraded Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $205.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Waste Management from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $216.24.

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.