Waste Management (NYSE:WM) SVP Sells $14,975.50 in Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) SVP Christopher Desantis sold 61 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.50, for a total value of $14,975.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,305,981.50. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock traded up $0.38 on Friday, reaching $238.99. 294,438 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,351,416. The firm has a market cap of $96.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.57. Waste Management, Inc. 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 quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company’s 50-day moving average is $229.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.29.

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

Waste Management Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in Waste Management by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Bey Douglas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Bey Douglas LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,922 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $422,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,341,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,398 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings raised Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

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.