Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC Lowers Stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 179,324 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,115 shares during the period. Waste Management makes up 2.3% of Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $37,228,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WM. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 0.3% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,523,324 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $969,401,000 after buying an additional 12,664 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Waste Management by 44.6% during the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,226,869 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $900,957,000 after buying an additional 1,303,466 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Waste Management by 6.8% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,846,152 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $820,539,000 after acquiring an additional 243,900 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management by 94,414.4% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,591,584 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $538,013,000 after acquiring an additional 2,588,842 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Waste Management by 11.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,217,389 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $473,047,000 after acquiring an additional 221,380 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM stock opened at $208.91 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $208.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $208.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.21, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.36 and a 12 month high of $225.00.

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

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Waste Management from $229.00 to $224.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com cut shares of Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $204.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, 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 research note on Friday, July 26th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Waste Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.