SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC Has $2.81 Million Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 13.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,791 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,453 shares during the quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,807,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WM. Ellsworth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 29,728 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,324,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 19.5% in the 4th quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 2,883 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $516,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in Waste Management by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 18,099 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,242,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Finally, LaFleur & Godfrey LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth $206,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WM. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Waste Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Waste Management from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $215.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. StockNews.com cut Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $163.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.47.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE WM traded down $0.82 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $213.15. The company had a trading volume of 2,699,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,476,426. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.72. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $149.71 and a 1-year high of $214.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $200.06 and its 200-day moving average is $179.12. 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 (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.21. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 36.51%. The company had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.75 dividend. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 53.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 9,550 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.00, for a total value of $1,738,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 152,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,816,516. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Waste Management news, Director John C. Pope sold 185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.00, for a total transaction of $33,485.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 56,461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,219,441. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 9,550 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.00, for a total value of $1,738,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 152,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,816,516. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 30,242 shares of company stock valued at $5,929,355 over the last ninety days. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.