Cambridge Trust Co. Has $26.66 Million Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Cambridge Trust Co. lessened its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 148,831 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 841 shares during the period. Cambridge Trust Co.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $26,656,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WM has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Waste Management from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Waste Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Waste Management from $230.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waste Management from $165.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Waste Management from $188.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $204.85.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.50, for a total transaction of $523,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,677 shares in the company, valued at $6,217,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 329 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.56, for a total transaction of $65,326.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,096,448.32. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.50, for a total value of $523,750.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 29,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,217,331.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,507 shares of company stock worth $4,157,770 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM traded down $1.21 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $204.94. 491,693 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,664,732. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $149.71 and a 12 month high of $214.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $206.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $184.43.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.21. Waste Management had a return on equity of 36.51% and a net margin of 11.28%. The company had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 53.00%.

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.