Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $255.6667.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th.

Waste Management Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE WM opened at $216.20 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $86.82 billion, a PE ratio of 31.29, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $248.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $230.19 and a 200-day moving average of $222.91.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 54.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total value of $1,165,136.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 78,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,084,739.94. This represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total value of $29,677.67. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,279,294.11. This trade represents a 1.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 54,842 shares of company stock worth $13,140,382 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its position in Waste Management by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Bey Douglas LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Bey Douglas LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,922 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $422,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,341,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,398 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $527,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

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.