Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) SVP Rafael Carrasco Sells 4,000 Shares

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.89, for a total value of $903,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 18,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,185,967.59. This represents a 17.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of WM stock opened at $224.94 on Monday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.48 and a 1-year high of $230.39. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $211.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $211.39. The firm has a market cap of $90.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.08, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.33%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Argus upped their target price on Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Ten 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Waste Management by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 175,122 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $35,338,000 after buying an additional 9,397 shares in the last quarter. Saturna Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 1,951 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its position in Waste Management by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 59,901 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at $239,000. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. raised its position in Waste Management by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 559,341 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $112,869,000 after purchasing an additional 49,742 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.