Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Given Peer Perform Rating at Wolfe Research

Waste Management (NYSE:WM)‘s stock had its “peer perform” rating reaffirmed by Wolfe Research in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on WM. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $264.00 to $263.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Waste Management from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Waste Management from $252.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Waste Management from $263.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.89.

Waste Management Stock Up 2.2%

WM stock opened at $218.25 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $227.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $226.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.91, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.42. Waste Management has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.04. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.11% and a return on equity of 31.68%. The company had revenue of $6.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.92 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 8.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO John Carroll sold 1,365 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.90, for a total transaction of $300,163.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $771,629.10. The trade was a 28.01% 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 link. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WM. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 55.3% in the 4th quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. RHL Group LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new position in Waste Management in the first quarter valued at $31,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Company Profile

WM, Inc, formerly known as Waste Management, Inc, is an environmental services company that provides waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers, helping manage everyday refuse as well as certain specialized waste streams.

Its operations include curbside and commercial waste collection, transfer stations, recycling facilities, landfills and waste-related energy services. WM also develops renewable natural gas and electricity projects that capture landfill gas for use as an energy source.