Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) VP Donald J. Smith Sells 43 Shares

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) VP Donald J. Smith sold 43 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.81, for a total transaction of $10,096.83. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,414,495.44. The trade was a 0.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WM traded down $1.51 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $232.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,251,991 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,520,527. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.13, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $216.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $214.21. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.59 and a 12-month high of $236.64.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 48.53%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Waste Management by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,866 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 7,534 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,520,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,130 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $857,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Waste Management by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,768 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 3.9% in the third quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,239 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on WM. StockNews.com cut Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. CIBC boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Waste Management from $227.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.94.

About Waste Management

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.