Johnson Varkey Sells 124 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) SVP Johnson Varkey sold 124 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.96, for a total transaction of $29,135.04. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,995,045.36. This represents a 1.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Johnson Varkey also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, January 31st, Johnson Varkey sold 560 shares of Waste Management stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.11, for a total value of $123,261.60.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.7 %

WM stock opened at $229.86 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $92.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.78. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.59 and a 12 month high of $235.81. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $216.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $214.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 37.93%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. CIBC increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $235.94.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WM. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 39.3% during the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $609,000 after buying an additional 852 shares in the last quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $141,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth about $73,282,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 9,504 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,918,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, XY Planning Network Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $288,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.