Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $237.00

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price target upped by Raymond James from $235.00 to $237.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the business services provider’s stock.

WM has been the subject of a number of other reports. Scotiabank raised Waste Management from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $230.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted 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 note on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.61.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $220.10 on Friday. Waste Management has a 1-year low of $184.72 and a 1-year high of $230.39. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $212.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $211.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.37, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.77.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 38.88% and a net margin of 12.45%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Waste Management will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total transaction of $66,795.70. Following the sale, the director now directly 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 4,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its stake in Waste Management by 892.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. General Partner Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Waste Management by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.