National Bank Financial Upgrades Waste Management (NYSE:WM) to “Hold”

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) was upgraded by equities research analysts at National Bank Financial to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on WM. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Waste Management from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group raised their target price on Waste Management from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. CIBC lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Waste Management from $260.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $247.06.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Waste Management stock opened at $238.05 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. Waste Management has a 1 year low of $196.59 and a 1 year high of $239.32. The company has a market cap of $95.79 billion, a PE ratio of 35.01, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s 50-day moving average is $229.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.48.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.08. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 37.93%. The business had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.75 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, EVP John J. Morris sold 19,153 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.71, for a total transaction of $4,303,870.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 85,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,158,100.47. This represents a 18.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 4,126 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.11, for a total transaction of $941,181.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 62,639 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,288,582.29. This trade represents a 6.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,385 shares of company stock valued at $6,636,603. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Westend Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 126.9% during the 1st quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 69.0% in the first quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 120 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by 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.