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

Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $204.85.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on WM shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Waste Management from $215.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Waste Management from $188.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Waste Management from $165.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th.

Waste Management Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of WM stock opened at $212.65 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $208.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $186.50. The company has a market capitalization of $85.34 billion, a PE ratio of 34.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.72. Waste Management has a 12-month low of $149.71 and a 12-month high of $214.54. 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 (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $5.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 38.82% and a net margin of 11.98%. Waste Management’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Waste Management will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 3,275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.49, for a total value of $653,329.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,403 shares in the company, valued at $7,262,034.47. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Waste Management news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 329 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.56, for a total value of $65,326.24. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,096,448.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 3,275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.49, for a total value of $653,329.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,262,034.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 18,007 shares of company stock worth $3,696,520 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 170.5% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 119 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Sachetta LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Company 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.