Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $253.5455.

WM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (down previously from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce cut their price target on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total value of $1,724,044.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,644,130. This trade represents a 32.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 428 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.63, for a total value of $94,001.64. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,245,497.12. This trade represents a 4.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 62,746 shares of company stock worth $14,470,494 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 55.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 101.5% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM opened at $230.07 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $92.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $224.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $219.29. Waste Management has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $242.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.70 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Waste Management will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.