Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) VP Donald J. Smith Sells 43 Shares

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) VP Donald J. Smith sold 43 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.81, for a total transaction of $10,096.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,414,495.44. This trade represents a 0.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM traded down $1.51 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $232.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,251,991 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,520,527. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $216.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $214.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $196.59 and a one year high of $236.64. The firm has a market cap of $93.40 billion, a PE ratio of 34.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.78.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 48.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WM. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com cut Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.94.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $141,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $73,282,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 9,504 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,918,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. XY Planning Network Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth approximately $288,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $475,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

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.