Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Acquires 3,225 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 25.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 15,829 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,225 shares during the quarter. Waste Management accounts for about 0.9% of Lecap Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Lecap Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $3,194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WM. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in Waste Management by 4,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 892.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. General Partner Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Waste Management by 65.7% in the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $224.77 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $211.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $211.34. The firm has a market cap of $90.22 billion, a PE ratio of 33.06, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.48 and a 1-year high of $230.39.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 38.88% and a net margin of 12.45%. Research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WM has been the topic of several recent research reports. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price target on Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.50.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 191 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.22, for a total transaction of $42,062.02. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,349,728.38. The trade was a 3.02 % 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, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total value of $46,094.95. Following the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,055 shares of company stock worth $2,674,780 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.