Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) SVP Tara J. Hemmer Sells 4,576 Shares

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,576 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.12, for a total value of $1,016,421.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 58,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,052,881.80. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $222.33 on Wednesday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.20 and a 12-month high of $230.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $212.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $211.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.78.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 38.88% and a net margin of 12.45%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.35%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 44.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Waste Management by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 74,394 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,444,000 after purchasing an additional 4,842 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 4.6% during the third 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. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 23.8% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,686 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,388,000 after acquiring an additional 1,286 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 40.2% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,031 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,460,000 after acquiring an additional 2,016 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 21,245 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,410,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WM. Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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 price objective on Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, January 31st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.50.

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.