Waste Management (NYSE:WM) PT Lowered to $216.00

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its target price decreased by Robert W. Baird from $226.00 to $216.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Waste Management from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. They issued a buy rating and a $241.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $202.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $211.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $215.83.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.8 %

Waste Management stock opened at $200.54 on Friday. Waste Management has a one year low of $149.71 and a one year high of $225.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $209.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $205.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.52% and a net margin of 12.13%. The business had revenue of $5.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.51 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Waste Management will post 7.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.10%.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $330,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 44,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,711,680. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 4,208 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.28, for a total value of $859,610.24. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 45,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,324,156.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $330,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 44,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,711,680. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth approximately $784,486,000. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 1st quarter valued at about $300,594,000. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 44.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,226,869 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $900,957,000 after buying an additional 1,303,466 shares during the period. Mirova US LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 26,116.4% in the 4th quarter. Mirova US LLC now owns 913,904 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $163,680,000 after buying an additional 910,418 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 1st quarter valued at about $193,955,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Company Profile

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.