Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM – Get Rating) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the nine research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $168.29.

A number of analysts recently commented on WM shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, October 12th. They set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Waste Management to $169.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Waste Management from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 27th.

Waste Management Price Performance

Waste Management stock opened at $159.83 on Monday. Waste Management has a 52 week low of $138.58 and a 52 week high of $175.98. The company's 50 day moving average price is $167.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $160.65. The stock has a market cap of $66.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 9th were paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 8th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. Waste Management's payout ratio is presently 50.78%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other news, EVP John J. Morris sold 22,795 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.82, for a total transaction of $3,871,046.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 95,461 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,211,187.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Waste Management news, EVP John J. Morris sold 22,795 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.82, for a total value of $3,871,046.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 95,461 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,211,187.02. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 22,082 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $3,864,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 50,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,840,300. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 53,848 shares of company stock valued at $9,258,942. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Gamble Jones Investment Counsel increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Gamble Jones Investment Counsel now owns 1,360 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $208,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 0.4% in the second quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,601 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,387,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Capital Planning Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Planning Advisors LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Doyle Wealth Management lifted its position in Waste Management by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Doyle Wealth Management now owns 1,897 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Mckinley Capital Management LLC Delaware boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Mckinley Capital Management LLC Delaware now owns 10,266 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,571,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 74.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Company Profile

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Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides waste management environmental services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in North America. 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, develops, and operates landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States, as well as owns and operates transfer stations.

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