Waste Management (NYSE:WM) EVP Sells $151,111.48 in Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) EVP Charles Boettcher sold 689 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.32, for a total transaction of $151,111.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 56,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,316,791.88. This trade represents a 1.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE WM traded down $0.77 on Monday, reaching $221.48. The stock had a trading volume of 909,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,195,687. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $242.58. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $219.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $219.17. The company has a market capitalization of $89.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.70 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

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

Key Headlines 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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the third quarter valued at about $1,583,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 57,093 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,064,000 after buying an additional 1,698 shares during the period. GPM Growth Investors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 50.6% during the second quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. now owns 16,640 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,808,000 after buying an additional 5,588 shares during the last quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in Waste Management in the third quarter valued at approximately $3,092,000. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 8.1% in the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,804 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $21,156,000 after acquiring an additional 7,143 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.55.

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.