Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Sold by Arjuna Capital

Arjuna Capital reduced its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 40.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 16,150 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 10,845 shares during the quarter. Waste Management comprises about 0.9% of Arjuna Capital’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Arjuna Capital’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $3,548,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 101.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $219.84 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $88.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.81, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.49. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $229.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $222.92. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 54.70%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total value of $29,677.67. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,293 shares in the company, valued at $2,279,294.11. This trade represents a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 99,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,320,720.02. This trade represents a 4.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 47,490 shares of company stock valued at $11,416,338. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WM has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.67.

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.