61,675 Shares in Waste Management, Inc. $WM Acquired by OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 61,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $13,551,000. Waste Management comprises approximately 1.6% of OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Norges Bank bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth $1,022,916,000. Capital International Investors increased its position in Waste Management by 218.3% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,369,805 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $302,494,000 after buying an additional 939,455 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 163.7% in the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,400,701 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $309,317,000 after buying an additional 869,453 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waste Management by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,436,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,487,924,000 after buying an additional 774,255 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 3,209.2% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 681,366 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $150,466,000 after acquiring an additional 660,776 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.2%

WM opened at $216.88 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $87.10 billion, a PE ratio of 31.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $222.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $194.11 and a 52 week high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The firm had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 54.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.30.

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.