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

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $215.83.

Several analysts recently weighed in on WM shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $241.00 price objective on the stock. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, June 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Waste Management to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Waste Management from $229.00 to $224.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, CIBC cut their price target on Waste Management from $223.00 to $213.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $207.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.07. Waste Management has a 52 week low of $149.71 and a 52 week high of $225.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.00, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $208.97 and its 200 day moving average is $205.67.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.52% and a net margin of 12.13%. The company had revenue of $5.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.51 earnings per share. Waste Management’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waste Management will post 7.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th were given a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $330,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 44,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,711,680. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $330,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 44,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,711,680. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 4,208 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.28, for a total value of $859,610.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 45,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,324,156.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WM. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,321 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,132,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 13,927.7% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 504,296 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $90,319,000 after purchasing an additional 500,701 shares during the last quarter. DSM Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $86,364,000. Finally, Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 173,782 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,124,000 after acquiring an additional 4,199 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by 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.