Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Sold by First Personal Financial Services

First Personal Financial Services trimmed its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,194 shares during the quarter. Waste Management comprises 2.9% of First Personal Financial Services’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. First Personal Financial Services’ holdings in Waste Management were worth $13,718,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Waste Management in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 62.9% during the second quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 171 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the second quarter worth $39,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Waste Management during the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 67.2% in the second quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 199 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $224.12 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $210.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $209.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $168.73 and a 12-month high of $226.36. The company has a market cap of $89.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.74.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.88%. The business had revenue of $5.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.63 earnings per share. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total transaction of $66,795.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at $834,946.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. William Blair initiated coverage on Waste Management in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. CIBC boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $213.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $230.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.11.

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.