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

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $255.30.

Several equities research analysts have commented on WM shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays upped their target price on Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

WM opened at $230.19 on Friday. Waste Management has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $248.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company has a market capitalization of $92.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $220.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $225.38.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were issued a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 54.70%.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management by 55.3% during the fourth quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. RHL Group LLC bought a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Company Profile

Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) is a leading provider of integrated waste management and environmental services in North America. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span collection, transfer, disposal and recycling, along with landfill operations and related infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Waste Management serves a broad customer base that includes residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Core services include curbside and commercial waste collection, roll-off and temporary container services, materials recovery and recycling, and engineered landfill disposal.