Aries Wealth Management Raises Stock Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Aries Wealth Management increased its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,797 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Aries Wealth Management’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in Waste Management by 10.9% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,370 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 14.1% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 5,003 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,039,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 4,086 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $848,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in Waste Management by 67.2% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,765,594 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $366,537,000 after purchasing an additional 709,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd raised its position in Waste Management by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 65,567 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,612,000 after purchasing an additional 4,703 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

NYSE WM opened at $227.58 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $195.97 and a 12-month high of $230.39. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $211.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $211.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.78.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced 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 38.88%. Analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total value of $46,094.95. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,999,506.30. This represents a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 560 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.11, for a total value of $123,261.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,014,446.72. The trade was a 5.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 16,055 shares of company stock valued at $3,578,340 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Waste Management from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.50.

Waste Management Profile

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.