Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from twenty-two research firms, with an average 12-month target price of $254.35.
• Analysts have noted recent positive adjustments, with JPMorgan Chase raising its rating from "neutral" to "overweight" and increasing the price target to $277.00.
• The company reported earnings per share of $1.92 for the last quarter, surpassing estimates, and plans to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.825 on September 26th.

Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $254.3529.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Waste Management from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $277.00 in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Melius began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Monday, June 9th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $229.00 price target on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, CIBC increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $244.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of WM stock opened at $226.69 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $91.32 billion, a PE ratio of 33.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50-day moving average of $228.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $229.80. Waste Management has a 1-year low of $199.69 and a 1-year high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.37 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.36% and a return on equity of 34.37%. Waste Management's revenue was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. Waste Management has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, analysts predict that Waste Management will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.96%.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westend Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 126.9% in the first quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. West Branch Capital LLC raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 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.

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