Stifel Nicolaus Boosts Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target to $227.00

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price objective upped by Stifel Nicolaus from $215.00 to $227.00 in a report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the business services provider’s stock.

WM has been the topic of a number of other research reports. UBS Group downgraded Waste Management from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lifted their target price for the company from $190.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $215.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Waste Management from $165.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, HSBC downgraded Waste Management from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $210.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Management has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $214.21.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $210.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.38, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.72. Waste Management has a 12 month low of $149.71 and a 12 month high of $214.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $208.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $186.87.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.23. Waste Management had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 11.98%. The business had revenue of $5.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Waste Management will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.75 dividend. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 49.10%.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.50, for a total value of $523,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,217,331.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 329 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.56, for a total transaction of $65,326.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,522 shares in the company, valued at $1,096,448.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.50, for a total value of $523,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,217,331.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 18,007 shares of company stock worth $3,696,520. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. raised its stake in Waste Management by 1.2% during the first quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. now owns 108,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $23,222,000 after buying an additional 1,249 shares in the last quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter worth $224,000. MBA Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 1st quarter valued at about $245,000. LifeSteps Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 1st quarter valued at about $160,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Waste Management by 1.6% in the first quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 11,564 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,465,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

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.