Royal Bank of Canada Initiates Coverage on Waste Management (NYSE:WM)

Analysts at Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set a "sector perform" rating and a $211.00 price target on the business services provider's stock. Royal Bank of Canada's target price points to a potential upside of 2.08% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on WM. HSBC downgraded shares of Waste Management from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $210.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 15th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $190.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Waste Management from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $204.85.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.1 %

WM traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $206.70. 2,592,832 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,698,936. Waste Management has a 12-month low of $149.71 and a 12-month high of $214.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $204.12 and a 200 day moving average of $182.12. The firm has a market cap of $82.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.19 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 36.51%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. Analysts predict that Waste Management will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total value of $461,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,959 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,080,935.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 1,782 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.23, for a total transaction of $363,937.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 55,591 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,353,349.93. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total transaction of $461,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 32,959 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,080,935.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 30,242 shares of company stock worth $5,929,355. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sachetta LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in Waste Management in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Waste Management in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. bought a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company's stock.

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.