Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

WM has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. William Blair began coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Waste Management from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, CIBC boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $229.33.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM traded down $4.72 on Monday, hitting $217.47. 1,520,480 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,612,807. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $217.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $211.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.29 billion, a PE ratio of 33.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.75. Waste Management has a 52 week low of $172.30 and a 52 week high of $230.39.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.07. Waste Management had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.88%. The firm had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.63 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Waste Management will post 7.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $66,795.70. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $834,946.25. The trade was a 7.41 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,130 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $857,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 3.9% during the third quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,239 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 3.1% during the second quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,577 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $336,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Balboa Wealth Partners increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 1,233 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.