Banco Santander S.A. Boosts Stake in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Banco Santander S.A. increased its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 135,616 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,327 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $29,948,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 51.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,384,000 after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. Sprott Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management during the first quarter valued at approximately $325,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 21.2% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,321 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,819,000 after acquiring an additional 2,159 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 8.9% in the 2nd quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,587 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $821,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WNY Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 33.1% in the 2nd quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC now owns 1,207 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Up 2.6%

NYSE:WM opened at $233.95 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $225.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $219.40. The stock has a market cap of $94.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.Waste Management’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total transaction of $1,724,044.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,644,130. This trade represents a 32.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 62,746 shares of company stock valued at $14,470,494 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on WM shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Barclays reduced their price target on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.55.

Waste Management Company Profile

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.