Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Acquired by Oakworth Capital Inc.

Oakworth Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 10.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,612 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $647,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gilfoyle & Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Waste Management in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.4 %

WM stock traded up $0.87 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $205.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 743,370 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,674,274. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.22, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $149.71 and a 52-week high of $214.54. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $206.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $184.27.

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

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.00%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, EVP John J. Morris sold 8,889 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $1,844,111.94. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 95,461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,804,339.06. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total value of $461,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,959 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,080,935.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John J. Morris sold 8,889 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction of $1,844,111.94. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 95,461 shares in the company, valued at $19,804,339.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 20,507 shares of company stock valued at $4,157,770. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WM. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Waste Management from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Waste Management from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 target price on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $204.85.

Waste Management Company 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.