Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV Sells 2,312 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV trimmed its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 77,242 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 2,312 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV's holdings in Waste Management were worth $15,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. NorthRock Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 57.0% in the 4th quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 6,290 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,269,000 after purchasing an additional 2,283 shares during the period. Northeast Financial Consultants Inc raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Northeast Financial Consultants Inc now owns 33,393 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $6,738,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 16,808 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,392,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. Obermeyer Wealth Partners raised its holdings in Waste Management by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Obermeyer Wealth Partners now owns 13,845 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,794,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $77,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on WM shares. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. CIBC increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Nine equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Waste Management has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $243.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 5,732 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.51, for a total transaction of $1,304,087.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 55,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,646,598.37. This trade represents a 9.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 44,405 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total transaction of $10,143,434.15. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,061 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,212,664.23. The trade was a 17.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 79,522 shares of company stock worth $18,084,124 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WM traded up $1.74 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $229.76. 1,639,125 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,657,523. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $92.46 billion, a PE ratio of 33.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.67. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $228.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $221.63. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.59 and a 1-year high of $239.32.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 37.93%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.75 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.77%.

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.