Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Monday.

WM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Waste Management from $230.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Scotiabank started coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial increased their target price on Waste Management from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Argus increased their target price on Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.33.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM opened at $216.00 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $217.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $211.27. The stock has a market cap of $86.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.03, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.75. Waste Management has a 52 week low of $172.30 and a 52 week high of $230.39.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.51 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.88% and a net margin of 12.35%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.63 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Waste Management will post 7.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total transaction of $66,795.70. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at $834,946.25. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in Waste Management by 4,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC grew its stake in Waste Management by 62.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 171 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. lifted its position in Waste Management by 51.8% during the 3rd quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 211 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.