Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Increases Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 10.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 615,802 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 58,826 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $124,263,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 67.2% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,765,594 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $366,537,000 after acquiring an additional 709,678 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 18.4% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 49,971 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,270,000 after acquiring an additional 7,776 shares during the period. Carret Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Waste Management by 3.2% during the third quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC now owns 1,607 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Waste Management by 77.4% during the third quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 12,298 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,553,000 after purchasing an additional 5,367 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Bankshares Inc purchased a new position in Waste Management during the third quarter valued at $204,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on WM. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.94.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM opened at $229.70 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $213.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $213.29. The firm has a market cap of $92.36 billion, a PE ratio of 33.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.59 and a 12 month high of $230.63.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 37.93%. Equities research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 191 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.22, for a total value of $42,062.02. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,349,728.38. This trade represents a 3.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 44,405 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total transaction of $10,143,434.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 211,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,212,664.23. This trade represents a 17.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 60,460 shares of company stock valued at $13,721,774 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Waste Management

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.