Waste Management (NYSE:WM) VP Michael Watson Sells 687 Shares of Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) VP Michael Watson sold 687 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.79, for a total transaction of $150,995.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 48,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,715,861.45. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM traded down $0.77 during trading on Monday, reaching $221.48. 909,285 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,195,687. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $242.58. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $219.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $219.17. The firm has a market cap of $89.23 billion, a PE ratio of 33.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.70 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.25%.

More Waste Management News

Here are the key news stories impacting Waste Management this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised price targets on WM, with new targets reported in the $235–$270 range, signaling analyst confidence in the company’s outlook and providing upside support for the stock. Price target $270 article Price target $250 article
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings-call takeaways emphasized strong cash flow, solid margins and growth in renewable natural gas (RNG) initiatives — items that support long-term revenue quality and margin expansion. Earnings call highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing / brand exposure: the WM Phoenix Open Pro?Am drew high?profile attendees, a one?off PR benefit that can aid brand recognition but is unlikely to move fundamentals. WM Phoenix Open article
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling disclosed: on Jan. 30 multiple senior executives (CFO, COO, several SVPs/VPs and the CAO/EVP) sold shares in lots generally between ~157–690 shares each, modestly reducing their holdings. Clustered insider sales can create short?term negative sentiment even if routine (diversification or planned sales). Representative SEC filing: Insider sale filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. CIBC cut their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $238.00 to $242.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, National Bankshares decreased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $243.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter valued at about $1,583,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 57,093 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,064,000 after buying an additional 1,698 shares during the period. GPM Growth Investors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 50.6% in the second quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. now owns 16,640 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 5,588 shares in the last quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,092,000. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 8.1% in the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,804 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $21,156,000 after acquiring an additional 7,143 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.