Raymond James Issues Positive Forecast for Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Stock Price

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price target lifted by Raymond James from $235.00 to $237.00 in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. Raymond James currently has an outperform rating on the business services provider’s stock.

WM has been the topic of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. CIBC increased their target price on Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of Waste Management from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.61.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $220.10 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $88.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.37, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $212.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $211.36. Waste Management has a twelve month low of $184.72 and a twelve month high of $230.39.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (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 38.88%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waste Management will post 7.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.12%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at $834,946.25. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WM. Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 7.0% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 74,394 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,444,000 after acquiring an additional 4,842 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 155.6% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 120,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $24,961,000 after acquiring an additional 73,188 shares during the period. Farmers Trust Co. bought a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $213,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,842 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,005,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, Goelzer Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,546 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $529,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Company Profile

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.