KKM Financial LLC Purchases 3,738 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

KKM Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 21.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,385 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,738 shares during the period. Waste Management accounts for approximately 1.5% of KKM Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. KKM Financial LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $4,722,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $851,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Clean Yield Group grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 6.7% in the third quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 801 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $177,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Mendel Money Management increased its position in Waste Management by 1.8% during the third quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 2,903 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $641,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Canton Hathaway LLC raised its stake in Waste Management by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Canton Hathaway LLC now owns 9,644 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,130,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HM Payson & Co. raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 0.7% during the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 6,988 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,543,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, DZ Bank began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of WM opened at $238.61 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.24 billion, a PE ratio of 35.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $229.82 and its 200-day moving average is $220.32. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The company had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 56.42%.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, COO John J. Morris sold 7,979 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.07, for a total value of $1,955,413.53. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 98,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,177,625.92. The trade was a 7.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total value of $4,171,464.31. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 44,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. This represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management 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.