Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Stock Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 11.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,217,389 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 221,380 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.55% of Waste Management worth $473,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WM. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 170.5% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 119 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $330,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 44,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,711,680. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on WM. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $226.00 to $216.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $213.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $241.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $240.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.83.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM opened at $208.36 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $83.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $209.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $208.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $149.71 and a 1 year high of $225.00.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.82. The company had revenue of $5.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.43 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.13% and a return on equity of 39.52%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.51 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 49.10%.

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.