Analysts Set GFL Environmental Inc. (NYSE:GFL) Price Target at $55.44

GFL Environmental Inc. (NYSE:GFL) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $55.00.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on GFL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of GFL Environmental from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $49.00 to $42.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of GFL Environmental from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of GFL Environmental from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of GFL Environmental in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of GFL Environmental from $55.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GFL Environmental

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS purchased a new position in GFL Environmental in the 1st quarter worth approximately $291,000. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft purchased a new position in GFL Environmental in the 1st quarter worth approximately $388,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in GFL Environmental by 25.6% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 649,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,085,000 after acquiring an additional 132,471 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in GFL Environmental by 256.9% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 1,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, S&CO Inc. raised its holdings in GFL Environmental by 15.7% in the 1st quarter. S&CO Inc. now owns 203,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,476,000 after acquiring an additional 27,575 shares during the last quarter. 64.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GFL Environmental Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE:GFL opened at $36.77 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $41.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.03. The company has a market capitalization of $13.16 billion, a PE ratio of 114.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 0.58. GFL Environmental has a 1-year low of $36.17 and a 1-year high of $51.51.

GFL Environmental (NYSE:GFL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. GFL Environmental had a net margin of 3.09% and a return on equity of 4.53%. The company’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.09) EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that GFL Environmental will post 0.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GFL Environmental Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, April 13th were issued a $0.0169 dividend. This represents a $0.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 13th. This is an increase from GFL Environmental’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.02. GFL Environmental’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.88%.

About GFL Environmental

GFL Environmental Inc is a leading North American provider of diversified environmental services, offering comprehensive solutions across solid waste management, liquid waste management, soil remediation and infrastructure services. The company’s core business activities include residential, commercial and industrial waste collection, recycling, composting and landfill management. In addition to traditional waste services, GFL provides specialized liquid waste hauling, treatment and disposal services as well as environmental consulting to support industrial and municipal clients in meeting regulatory and sustainability goals.

Founded in 2007 by entrepreneur Patrick Dovigi, GFL Environmental has pursued an aggressive growth strategy driven by strategic acquisitions and organic expansion.