Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Sold by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund decreased its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 145,696 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $32,011,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fosun International Ltd grew its position in Waste Management by 56.1% in the 4th quarter. Fosun International Ltd now owns 3,749 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $824,000 after purchasing an additional 1,348 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its position in Waste Management by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 36,578 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,860,000 after purchasing an additional 1,618 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in Waste Management by 80.8% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 14,769 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,245,000 after purchasing an additional 6,602 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth about $262,000. Finally, Crescent Grove Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth about $234,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 99,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,320,720.02. This represents a 4.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total transaction of $29,677.67. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,279,294.11. This represents a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,515 shares of company stock valued at $1,099,450. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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 report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.67.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.7%

Waste Management stock opened at $220.45 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $223.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.53 billion, a PE ratio of 31.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.45. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13.

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

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.70%.

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.