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

Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $230.72.

WM has been the topic of several recent research reports. William Blair began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Friday, October 4th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $220.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were 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 approximately $834,946.25. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in Waste Management by 4,000.0% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Fairway Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 62.9% in the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 171 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. raised its position in Waste Management by 51.8% during 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 in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.8 %

WM stock opened at $205.38 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.75. Waste Management has a fifty-two week low of $175.74 and a fifty-two week high of $230.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $217.22 and a 200-day moving average of $211.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.88% and a net margin of 12.35%. The firm had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.63 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 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.