Sentry Investment Management LLC Lowers Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 9.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,932 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 208 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $346,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the first quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $205.36 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $205.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $183.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $149.71 and a 12 month high of $214.54. The company has a market cap of $82.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.28, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Waste Management Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group cut shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $205.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. HSBC cut shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $210.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective 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. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $204.85.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.56, for a total transaction of $65,326.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,096,448.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 329 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.56, for a total value of $65,326.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,096,448.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 9,550 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.00, for a total transaction of $1,738,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 152,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,816,516. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 30,057 shares of company stock worth $5,895,870 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Waste Management 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.