Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. William Blair began coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, CIBC raised their price objective on Waste Management from $213.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $226.11.

Waste Management Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $224.41 on Friday. Waste Management has a 52-week low of $168.73 and a 52-week high of $226.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.31, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $212.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $210.10.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.51 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.88% and a net margin of 12.35%. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. Analysts expect that Waste Management will post 7.32 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $834,946.25. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in Waste Management by 4,000.0% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Fairway Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 62.9% in the second quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 171 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.