Romano Brothers AND Company Reduces Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Romano Brothers AND Company lessened its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 21,103 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 130 shares during the quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $4,258,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,240,429 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $854,446,000 after purchasing an additional 280,455 shares during the last quarter. Trium Capital LLP lifted its position in Waste Management by 33.6% in the third quarter. Trium Capital LLP now owns 12,031 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,498,000 after buying an additional 3,029 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 77.4% in the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 12,298 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,553,000 after acquiring an additional 5,367 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Waste Management by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 480,534 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $99,759,000 after purchasing an additional 28,266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank lifted its stake in Waste Management by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 79,192 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,980,000 after purchasing an additional 4,798 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $211.79 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $85.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.38, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $213.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $211.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $181.56 and a one year high of $230.39.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.51 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.88% and a net margin of 12.35%. Waste Management’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.63 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WM shares. Scotiabank started coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Waste Management from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, CIBC boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.72.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total transaction of $66,795.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at $834,946.25. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Waste Management

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.