Atom Investors LP Boosts Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Atom Investors LP grew its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,975 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,649 shares during the period. Atom Investors LP’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $7,025,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $10,206,000. Capital Advisors Inc. OK boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 196,585 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $43,192,000 after purchasing an additional 3,880 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 333.1% during the 4th quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 8,442 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,855,000 after purchasing an additional 6,493 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 793,346 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $173,774,000 after purchasing an additional 104,843 shares during the period. Finally, Goodman Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $16,898,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.30.

Waste Management Price Performance

Waste Management stock opened at $218.73 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $87.84 billion, a PE ratio of 31.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.45. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The company’s 50 day moving average is $222.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.79.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 54.70%.

Trending Headlines about Waste Management

Here are the key news stories impacting Waste Management this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Commentary today reiterated that WM’s irreplaceable physical network supports predictable, inflation-protected cash flow, reinforcing the stock’s appeal as a long-term “forever” holding. Why This Once-in-a-Decade Selloff Makes One Waste Management Company a Forever Stock
• Positive Sentiment: WM also reinforced its brand and operational discipline by updating its Recycle Right® guidance to warn customers not to place batteries in recycling or trash bins, a move that highlights safety focus and could help reduce facility fire risk. WM Updates Recycle Right® Rules: No Batteries in Recycling or Trash
• Neutral Sentiment: Several items referenced capital-markets activity around Waste Management entities, including debt issuance in Canada, which may support financing flexibility but does not appear to be a major stock-moving catalyst for WM’s core U.S. operations. Waste Management eyes selling $750 million in bonds
• Negative Sentiment: WM shares have recently softened amid a broader selloff in industrials and a market session where the stock fell while the wider market rose, suggesting some near-term profit-taking or valuation pressure. Waste Management (WM) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

Waste Management Company 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.