Caprock Group LLC Has $2.55 Million Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Caprock Group LLC increased its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 30.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,607 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,735 shares during the quarter. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,092,000. Guerra Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 59.5% during the 3rd quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 9,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,996,000 after buying an additional 3,371 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 196,585 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $43,192,000 after buying an additional 3,880 shares in the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 537.0% in the 3rd quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,721 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $21,138,000 after purchasing an additional 80,695 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 69,287 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,301,000 after purchasing an additional 11,135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WM. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Waste Management from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, 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 note on Friday, January 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.19.

Insider Activity

In other Waste Management news, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total value of $1,024,873.18. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 99,929 shares in the company, valued at $24,320,720.02. This represents a 4.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total value of $4,171,464.31. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 44,146 shares in the company, valued at $10,674,944.26. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.4%

Waste Management stock opened at $229.64 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The company has a market capitalization of $92.53 billion, a PE ratio of 34.27, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $232.69 and its 200 day moving average is $222.37.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The company had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.70 earnings per share. Waste Management’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 56.42%.

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.