Ninety One UK Ltd Has $82.56 Million Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 375,775 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,195 shares during the quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $82,562,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management during the third quarter worth $1,583,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Waste Management during the third quarter worth $3,092,000. Guerra Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 59.5% during the third quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 9,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,996,000 after acquiring an additional 3,371 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OK lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 196,585 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $43,192,000 after acquiring an additional 3,880 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 537.0% in the third quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,721 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $21,138,000 after buying an additional 80,695 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total transaction of $4,171,464.31. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 44,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 7,979 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.07, for a total value of $1,955,413.53. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 98,656 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,177,625.92. This represents a 7.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waste Management Price Performance

Waste Management stock opened at $223.97 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $194.11 and a 52 week high of $248.13. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $233.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $222.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The stock has a market cap of $90.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.43, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.54.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.70 earnings per share. Waste Management’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 56.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Waste Management from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.64.

Waste Management Profile

Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) is a leading provider of integrated waste management and environmental services in North America. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span collection, transfer, disposal and recycling, along with landfill operations and related infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Waste Management serves a broad customer base that includes residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Core services include curbside and commercial waste collection, roll-off and temporary container services, materials recovery and recycling, and engineered landfill disposal.