Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.08 EPS

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.08, Zacks reports. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 37.93%. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.75 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Waste Management updated its FY 2025 guidance to EPS.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE WM traded up $0.82 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $234.18. The stock had a trading volume of 905,502 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,645,212. The company has a market cap of $94.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.42, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.66. Waste Management has a 52 week low of $196.59 and a 52 week high of $239.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The business's 50 day moving average is $228.07 and its 200-day moving average is $220.06.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. This is an increase from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is 49.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 191 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.22, for a total transaction of $42,062.02. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,349,728.38. This represents a 3.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 560 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.11, for a total value of $123,261.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,152 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,014,446.72. This represents a 5.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 95,577 shares of company stock worth $21,662,464. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Waste Management stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 51.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,861 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC's holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,384,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on Waste Management from $260.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. CIBC increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, HSBC upgraded Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $210.00 to $265.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. Eight equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $243.29.

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.