By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM – Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $230.72.
A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Scotiabank started coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Friday, October 4th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Waste Management from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on WM
Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management
In other news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total transaction of $66,795.70. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $834,946.25. This represents a 7.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 4,000.0% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 62.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 171 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 51.8% in the third quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 211 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.
Waste Management Stock Performance
WM stock opened at $201.79 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Waste Management has a twelve month low of $176.68 and a twelve month high of $230.39. The business’s fifty day moving average is $216.19 and its 200-day moving average is $211.67. The company has a market cap of $80.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.75.
Waste Management (NYSE:WM – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.51 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.88% and a net margin of 12.35%. The company’s revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management will post 7.32 EPS for the current year.
Waste Management Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.87%.
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.
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