Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Grows Stake in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA boosted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 165.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 80,449 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 50,121 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $17,675,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WM. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 101.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management in the third quarter worth $30,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the second quarter valued at $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 99,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,320,720.02. This represents a 4.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total value of $29,677.67. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,279,294.11. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

Waste Management stock opened at $233.89 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $94.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.91, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $231.18 and a 200-day moving average of $220.66. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.70 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 16th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Waste Management from $250.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $254.59.

About Waste Management

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.