Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

by · The Markets Daily

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Waste Management (NYSE:WM – Free Report) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Tuesday.

Several other analysts also recently commented on WM. HSBC downgraded shares of Waste Management from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $210.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Waste Management from a buy rating to a neutral rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $188.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $204.85.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Waste Management

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM opened at $205.96 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $205.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $182.81. Waste Management has a 52 week low of $149.71 and a 52 week high of $214.54. The company has a market capitalization of $82.65 billion, a PE ratio of 36.39, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.19 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 36.51%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Waste Management will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.00%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 329 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.56, for a total transaction of $65,326.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,096,448.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.50, for a total transaction of $523,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,217,331.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 329 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.56, for a total transaction of $65,326.24. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,096,448.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,242 shares of company stock valued at $5,929,355. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Gilfoyle & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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