Waste Management (NYSE:WM) VP Sells $2,847,055.12 in Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) VP Donald Smith sold 12,194 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,406,483.52. The trade was a 66.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Waste Management stock traded up $0.73 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $235.25. 1,879,075 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,284,367. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The firm has a market cap of $94.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.58. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $242.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $222.42 and its 200 day moving average is $219.21.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WM shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Truist Financial set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. DZ Bank initiated coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.55.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FIL Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 235,482 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $51,738,000 after buying an additional 11,637 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Waste Management by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,108,418 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $243,531,000 after buying an additional 44,306 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Waste Management by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,636 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,315,000 after acquiring an additional 3,991 shares during the period. Fairview Capital Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at $26,530,000. Finally, Sherman Porfolios LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth $4,976,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

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.