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

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $235.94.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WM shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Argus boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $228.40 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $212.84 and its 200 day moving average is $212.70. Waste Management has a 12 month low of $196.59 and a 12 month high of $230.39. The company has a market capitalization of $91.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.78.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 38.88%. Research analysts predict that Waste Management will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 44.12%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 191 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.22, for a total value of $42,062.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,129 shares in the company, valued at $1,349,728.38. This represents a 3.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 4,000 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.89, for a total value of $903,560.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 18,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,185,967.59. This trade represents a 17.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 16,055 shares of company stock valued at $3,578,340. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WM. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,370 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management by 14.1% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 5,003 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,039,000 after buying an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 3.6% in the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 4,781 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $993,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 4,086 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $848,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB increased its stake in Waste Management by 67.2% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,765,594 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $366,537,000 after acquiring an additional 709,678 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.