Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. Acquires 321 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. raised its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,618 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 321 shares during the period. Waste Management accounts for about 2.0% of Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $4,073,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Trium Capital LLP grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 33.6% in the third quarter. Trium Capital LLP now owns 12,031 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,498,000 after buying an additional 3,029 shares in the last quarter. Pinkerton Retirement Specialists LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 18.6% in the first quarter. Pinkerton Retirement Specialists LLC now owns 20,099 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,284,000 after acquiring an additional 3,145 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 754 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $161,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 1st quarter valued at about $7,146,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its stake in Waste Management by 417.3% in the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 3,471 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $720,000 after purchasing an additional 2,800 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $206.80 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.90 and a 12-month high of $225.00. The company has a market capitalization of $82.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.88, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $208.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $208.54.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82. The business had revenue of $5.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.43 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.13% and a return on equity of 39.52%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.51 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Waste Management from $215.00 to $213.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Waste Management from $229.00 to $224.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Waste Management to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. CIBC reduced their target price on shares of Waste Management from $223.00 to $213.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $204.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $218.89.

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.