EntryPoint Capital LLC Invests $67,000 in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 315 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $67,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,321 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 13,927.7% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 504,296 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $90,319,000 after acquiring an additional 500,701 shares during the period. DSM Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth $86,364,000. Finally, Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd grew its position in Waste Management by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 173,782 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,124,000 after acquiring an additional 4,199 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of Waste Management stock traded down $2.96 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $196.96. 2,500,282 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,486,250. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $149.71 and a 52-week high of $225.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of $209.51 and a 200-day moving average of $204.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.74.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.52% and a net margin of 12.13%. The business had revenue of $5.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.51 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 21st. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on WM. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $213.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $226.00 to $216.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Waste Management from $229.00 to $224.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Raymond James increased their target price on Waste Management from $219.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $215.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $330,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 44,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,711,680. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Waste Management news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 4,208 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.28, for a total transaction of $859,610.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 45,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,324,156.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $330,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 44,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,711,680. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.