Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Sells 605 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI decreased its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,654 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 605 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $19,706,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WM. Alta Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Alta Capital Management LLC now owns 2,494 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $503,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,152,209 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $434,294,000 after acquiring an additional 65,203 shares during the period. NBW Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. NBW Capital LLC now owns 20,661 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,169,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in Waste Management by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 34,392 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,940,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bravias Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $972,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $233.53 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.34, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.78. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.59 and a 52 week high of $235.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $216.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $214.21.

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

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 48.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 44,405 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.43, for a total transaction of $10,143,434.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,061 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,212,664.23. This trade represents a 17.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 5,732 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.51, for a total value of $1,304,087.32. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 55,587 shares in the company, valued at $12,646,598.37. The trade was a 9.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 66,192 shares of company stock valued at $15,025,861. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Scotiabank upped their target price on Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.94.

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.