Silver Oak Securities Incorporated Raises Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 149.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,119 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,063 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,035,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WM. Financial Advocates Investment Management boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,003 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $808,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 13,336 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,691,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the period. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 286.2% in the 4th quarter. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. now owns 421 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 20,758 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,195,000 after acquiring an additional 2,486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Country Club Bank lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Country Club Bank now owns 4,726 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $956,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

WM stock opened at $224.77 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $90.22 billion, a PE ratio of 33.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.78. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $211.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $211.34. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $187.48 and a one year high of $230.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 38.88%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WM shares. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. CIBC upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $234.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,576 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.12, for a total value of $1,016,421.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 58,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,052,881.80. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 5,826 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.12, for a total value of $1,294,071.12. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,442 shares in the company, valued at $15,424,457.04. The trade was a 7.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,055 shares of company stock worth $2,674,780. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Waste Management Company Profile

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.