Buck Wealth Strategies LLC Has $8.95 Million Position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Buck Wealth Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 44,341 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,501 shares during the quarter. Waste Management comprises about 1.9% of Buck Wealth Strategies LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $8,948,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 7.0% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 74,394 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,444,000 after buying an additional 4,842 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,842 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,005,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its position in Waste Management by 40.2% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,031 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,460,000 after acquiring an additional 2,016 shares during the last quarter. Bath Savings Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter valued at about $202,000. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 19,945 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,141,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

NYSE WM opened at $224.67 on Thursday. 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 $90.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.78. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.48 and a 12-month high of $230.39. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $211.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $211.34.

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 38.88%. Analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.12%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 5,826 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.12, for a total value of $1,294,071.12. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 69,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,424,457.04. This trade represents a 7.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 560 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.11, for a total transaction of $123,261.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,014,446.72. This trade represents a 5.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,055 shares of company stock valued at $2,674,780 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WM shares. Argus lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.