Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC Sells 9,437 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC lessened its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 25.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 28,028 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 9,437 shares during the period. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $6,158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in Waste Management by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,265,370 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $497,724,000 after acquiring an additional 240,546 shares during the period. Capital International Inc. CA increased its holdings in Waste Management by 42.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 21,830 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,796,000 after acquiring an additional 6,500 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in Waste Management by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,508,783 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $331,495,000 after acquiring an additional 138,978 shares during the period. Valtrion Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Valtrion Capital Management LLC now owns 3,169 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $696,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 34.5% in the 4th quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 5,309 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,166,000 after buying an additional 1,363 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,279,294.11. This represents a 1.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 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 trade represents a 4.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 4,515 shares of company stock valued at $1,099,450 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $220.45 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $223.62 and a 200-day moving average of $224.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.93.

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

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.