KBC Group NV Grows Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 49.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 313,802 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 104,299 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned about 0.08% of Waste Management worth $65,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 62.9% in the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 171 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 67.2% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 199 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $225.67 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The company has a market capitalization of $90.58 billion, a PE ratio of 34.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.74. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $168.73 and a 12-month high of $226.84. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $210.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $209.43.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results 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. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.88%. The business had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.63 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 45.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 3,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $834,946.25. This trade represents a 0.00 % 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 company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Waste Management to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, CIBC upped their target price on Waste Management from $213.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.11.

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.