Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 670 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,662 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 670 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,551,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new position in Waste Management in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Spirit of America Management Corp NY boosted its stake in Waste Management by 66.7% in the third quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 250 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Rational Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Annapolis Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 40.1% in the third quarter. Annapolis Financial Services LLC now owns 325 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of Waste Management stock traded down $2.33 during trading on Friday, reaching $210.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 190,956 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,652,270. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $149.71 and a 52-week high of $214.54. The company has a market cap of $84.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.80, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $208.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $186.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $5.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.98% and a return on equity of 38.82%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WM. UBS Group lowered shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $190.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $211.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com raised shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $165.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 3,275 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.49, for a total value of $653,329.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,403 shares in the company, valued at $7,262,034.47. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Waste Management news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 3,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.49, for a total value of $653,329.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,403 shares in the company, valued at $7,262,034.47. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 775 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.58, for a total transaction of $153,899.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 75,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,934,010.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,007 shares of company stock valued at $3,696,520 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.