Intech Investment Management LLC Has $7.14 Million Stock Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 40.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,517 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,389 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $7,144,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 51.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,384,000 after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares in the last quarter. Sprott Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management during the first quarter valued at approximately $325,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Waste Management by 8.0% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 272,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,339,000 after purchasing an additional 20,122 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Waste Management by 68.2% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 366,416 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $83,843,000 after purchasing an additional 148,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust co grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 5.1% during the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,338 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $764,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Waste Management news, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total transaction of $1,024,873.18. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 99,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,320,720.02. This represents a 4.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total transaction of $4,171,464.31. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 44,146 shares in the company, valued at $10,674,944.26. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 35,222 shares of company stock worth $8,552,294. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.67.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $211.32 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $224.81 and its 200 day moving average is $224.04. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $194.11 and a twelve month high of $248.13. The stock has a market cap of $84.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.945 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 54.70%.

About Waste Management

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.