Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09), Zacks reports. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.88%.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE:WM traded up $10.74 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $220.29. 1,154,605 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,699,477. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $212.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $211.28. Waste Management has a 1 year low of $184.72 and a 1 year high of $230.39.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.87%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at $834,946.25. The trade was a 7.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. William Blair started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.39.

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.