John Carroll Sells 47 Shares of Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) CAO John Carroll sold 47 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.30, for a total transaction of $11,529.10. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,203,529.90. This represents a 0.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:WM opened at $236.30 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $95.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.27, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $248.13. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $229.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $220.16.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. Waste Management’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.945 dividend. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. DZ Bank started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 55.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 101.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. RHL Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Waste Management

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.