Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on WM. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James increased their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $232.61.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM stock opened at $220.10 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $212.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $211.39. The company has a market capitalization of $88.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Waste Management has a 1-year low of $184.72 and a 1-year high of $230.39.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a net margin of 12.45% and a return on equity of 38.88%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waste Management will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $834,946.25. This represents a 7.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 23,510 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,744,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Chapman Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Chapman Investment Management LLC now owns 23,084 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,658,000 after purchasing an additional 1,045 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $805,000. Callahan Advisors LLC grew its stake in Waste Management by 163.7% during the fourth quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 4,937 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $996,000 after buying an additional 3,065 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 15,452 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,118,000 after buying an additional 4,639 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

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.