Waste Management, Inc. $WM Holdings Lifted by Private Capital Advisors Inc.

Private Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 339.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 81,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 62,587 shares during the quarter. Waste Management comprises 2.0% of Private Capital Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Private Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $17,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 101.5% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the second quarter worth about $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 47.0% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WM shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lowered their target price on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings raised Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE WM opened at $228.16 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $242.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $224.77 and a 200-day moving average of $219.29. The stock has a market cap of $92.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at $1,406,483.52. This trade represents a 66.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO John A. Carroll sold 1,021 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.71, for a total transaction of $239,638.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,950,205.39. This represents a 10.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 62,746 shares of company stock worth $14,470,494. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Company 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.