Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Sold by Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc.

Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. cut its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,411 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 73 shares during the period. Waste Management makes up 2.2% of Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,899,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WM. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 4,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its holdings in Waste Management by 892.9% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. General Partner Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $213.46 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $85.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.64, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $184.72 and a one year high of $230.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $212.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $211.28.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.51 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.88%. Waste Management’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 45.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on WM shares. CIBC boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $225.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at $834,946.25. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.