BNP Paribas Buys 2,647 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

BNP Paribas grew its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,843 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,647 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas’ holdings in Waste Management were worth $10,293,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,922 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $422,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,341,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,398 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Old Port Advisors lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 16,963 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,727,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM opened at $212.56 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $85.36 billion, a PE ratio of 30.76, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $224.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $248.13.

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

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 54.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In related news, COO John J. Morris sold 7,979 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.07, for a total transaction of $1,955,413.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 98,656 shares in the company, valued at $24,177,625.92. The trade was a 7.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,293 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,494 shares of company stock valued at $3,054,863. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on WM shares. Barclays lifted their price target on Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Waste Management in a report on Friday, March 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.67.

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.