Mirova US LLC Boosts Stock Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Mirova US LLC lifted its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 26,116.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 913,904 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 910,418 shares during the period. Waste Management accounts for approximately 2.5% of Mirova US LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Mirova US LLC owned 0.23% of Waste Management worth $163,680,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Waste Management in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. KB Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.50, for a total transaction of $523,750.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 29,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,217,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP John J. Morris sold 8,889 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $1,844,111.94. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 95,461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,804,339.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.50, for a total transaction of $523,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 29,677 shares in the company, valued at $6,217,331.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,507 shares of company stock worth $4,157,770. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM stock traded down $0.38 on Wednesday, hitting $204.98. The company had a trading volume of 1,457,303 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,623,895. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $149.71 and a 12-month high of $214.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $206.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $184.27. The stock has a market cap of $82.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.72.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.21. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 36.51%. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 53.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. HSBC downgraded shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $210.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Waste Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 22nd. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $188.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.85.

Waste Management 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.