Avior Wealth Management LLC Grows Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 19.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,644 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 264 shares during the quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $294,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allen Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $200,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 475,203 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $85,109,000 after purchasing an additional 52,278 shares during the period. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 18,397 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,295,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. Marietta Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Marietta Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,039 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,484,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Finally, United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 60,246 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,790,000 after purchasing an additional 826 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.50, for a total value of $523,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,217,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.50, for a total value of $523,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,217,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.58, for a total value of $153,899.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,934,010.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 18,007 shares of company stock valued at $3,696,520. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $207.12 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $207.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $184.96. The firm has a market cap of $83.12 billion, a PE ratio of 36.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.72. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $149.71 and a twelve month high of $214.54.

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

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 53.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Waste Management from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Erste Group Bank raised Waste Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Waste Management from $188.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, HSBC lowered Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $210.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.