Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Purchased by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 556,235 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,110 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC owned about 0.14% of Waste Management worth $122,833,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the second quarter worth about $1,064,206,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Waste Management by 444.3% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,206,026 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $487,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800,728 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 15,782.4% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,728,486 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $395,512,000 after purchasing an additional 1,717,603 shares during the period. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 55.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 2,897,636 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $663,037,000 after purchasing an additional 1,034,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Waste Management by 982.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 886,164 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $195,692,000 after buying an additional 804,285 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

NYSE WM opened at $219.17 on Wednesday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $242.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.30 billion, a PE ratio of 34.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.59. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $212.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $219.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.51 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. National Bankshares dropped their target price on Waste Management from $250.00 to $243.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $234.00 to $223.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $238.00 to $242.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.06, for a total value of $299,542.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,373,112.40. The trade was a 8.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) is a leading provider of integrated waste management and environmental services in North America. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span collection, transfer, disposal and recycling, along with landfill operations and related infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Waste Management serves a broad customer base that includes residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Core services include curbside and commercial waste collection, roll-off and temporary container services, materials recovery and recycling, and engineered landfill disposal.