Seaport Res Ptn Upgrades Waste Management (NYSE:WM) to Hold

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Seaport Res Ptn to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. CIBC boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $227.00 to $247.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group upped their target price on Waste Management from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Nine 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.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $243.29.

Waste Management Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE:WM traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $233.03. 1,484,167 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,648,511. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $228.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.09. The firm has a market cap of $93.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.27, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.67. Waste Management has a fifty-two week low of $196.59 and a fifty-two week high of $239.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.08. Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.75 earnings per share. Waste Management's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 5,732 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.51, for a total value of $1,304,087.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 55,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,646,598.37. This represents a 9.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 3,094 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.11, for a total transaction of $705,772.34. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 53,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,241,066.93. This trade represents a 5.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 79,522 shares of company stock worth $18,084,124 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Westend Capital Management LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC raised its stake in Waste Management by 69.0% during the 1st quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 120 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 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.