Waste Management (NYSE:WM) VP Donald Smith Sells 12,194 Shares of Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) VP Donald Smith sold 12,194 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $2,847,055.12. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Waste Management Price Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $234.93 on Wednesday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $194.11 and a 52 week high of $242.58. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $222.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $219.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The stock has a market cap of $94.76 billion, a PE ratio of 35.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 51.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,384,000 after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares in the last quarter. Sprott Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management in the first quarter valued at approximately $325,000. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,240 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $513,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,347 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,865,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, DZ Bank initiated coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.