Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Short Interest Up 513,650.0% in July

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 4,110,000 shares, anincreaseof513,650.0% from the June 30th total of 800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,680,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days. Currently,1.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently,1.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,680,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WM. National Bank Financial upgraded shares of Waste Management to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Waste Management from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Melius began coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Monday, June 9th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. CIBC increased their price target on Waste Management from $244.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Waste Management to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $263.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $254.35.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $228.89 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $231.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $228.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.86. Waste Management has a 1-year low of $199.69 and a 1-year high of $242.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.64.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.03. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.36% and a return on equity of 34.37%. The firm had revenue of $6.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.82 earnings per share. Waste Management’s quarterly revenue was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.81, for a total transaction of $159,609.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,542 shares in the company, valued at $3,917,311.02. The trade was a 3.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.36, for a total value of $13,740,295.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 83,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,922,574.24. The trade was a 40.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 51.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,384,000 after acquiring an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in Waste Management by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 124,848 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,193,000 after purchasing an additional 15,974 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 260,910 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $52,649,000 after purchasing an additional 13,755 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,315 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,678,000 after buying an additional 1,126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bryce Point Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth approximately $469,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.