Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $255.6667.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on WM shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total transaction of $1,024,873.18. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 99,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,320,720.02. This represents a 4.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $2,847,055.12. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at $1,406,483.52. This trade represents a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 91,959 shares of company stock valued at $21,698,005. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 55.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 101.5% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. RHL Group LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $215.18 on Friday. Waste Management has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.41 billion, a PE ratio of 31.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $231.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $222.91.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.945 per share. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 54.70%.

Waste Management Company Profile

Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) is a leading provider of integrated waste management and environmental services in North America. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span collection, transfer, disposal and recycling, along with landfill operations and related infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Waste Management serves a broad customer base that includes residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Core services include curbside and commercial waste collection, roll-off and temporary container services, materials recovery and recycling, and engineered landfill disposal.