Waste Management (NYSE:WM) CAO John Carroll Sells 220 Shares

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) CAO John Carroll sold 220 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.57, for a total transaction of $48,305.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,048,588.10. This represents a 2.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE WM traded down $0.77 on Monday, hitting $221.48. 909,285 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,195,687. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $242.58. The company has a market cap of $89.23 billion, a PE ratio of 33.06, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $219.25 and a 200-day moving average of $219.17.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.70 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 101.5% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in Waste Management in the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WM. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

Key Stories Impacting Waste Management

Here are the key news stories impacting Waste Management this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised price targets on WM, with new targets reported in the $235–$270 range, signaling analyst confidence in the company’s outlook and providing upside support for the stock. Price target $270 article Price target $250 article
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings-call takeaways emphasized strong cash flow, solid margins and growth in renewable natural gas (RNG) initiatives — items that support long-term revenue quality and margin expansion. Earnings call highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing / brand exposure: the WM Phoenix Open Pro?Am drew high?profile attendees, a one?off PR benefit that can aid brand recognition but is unlikely to move fundamentals. WM Phoenix Open article
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling disclosed: on Jan. 30 multiple senior executives (CFO, COO, several SVPs/VPs and the CAO/EVP) sold shares in lots generally between ~157–690 shares each, modestly reducing their holdings. Clustered insider sales can create short?term negative sentiment even if routine (diversification or planned sales). Representative SEC filing: Insider sale filing

Waste Management Company Profile

Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) is a leading provider of integrated waste management and environmental services in North America. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span collection, transfer, disposal and recycling, along with landfill operations and related infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Waste Management serves a broad customer base that includes residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Core services include curbside and commercial waste collection, roll-off and temporary container services, materials recovery and recycling, and engineered landfill disposal.