General Partner Inc. Makes New Investment in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

General Partner Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 145 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $29,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fiera Capital Corp grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 72.2% during the 2nd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,066 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $441,000 after buying an additional 866 shares during the period. Founders Financial Securities LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 4.1% during the second quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 6,276 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,339,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth about $219,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 36.0% in the 2nd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,196 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $469,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 47.6% during the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,812 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 584 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of WM traded up $1.20 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $201.74. The company had a trading volume of 147,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 968,797. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $176.68 and a 52 week high of $230.39. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $215.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $211.53. The stock has a market cap of $80.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.85, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.75.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.51 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.88% and a net margin of 12.35%. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.63 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.32 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 45.87%.

Insider Activity

In other Waste Management news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $834,946.25. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the subject of several research reports. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, October 4th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 price objective for the company. William Blair started coverage on Waste Management in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. CIBC increased their target price on Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Waste Management from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.72.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.