The stock of Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) has decreased by -0.71 when compared to last closing price of 223.72. Despite this, the company has experienced a 3.97% gain in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. seekingalpha.com reported 2025-02-04 that Tariffs and currency headwinds are impacting costs and currency, making US retail and service-related stocks a nice hedge. Key stocks to consider include home improvement, grocery, automotive retail, and waste management. Hedging against tariff uncertainty should become a theme in years to come.
Is It Worth Investing in Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) Right Now?
Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) has a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.64x that is above its average ratio. Additionally, the 36-month beta value for WM is 0.77. There are mixed opinions on the stock, with 8 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 2 rating it as “overweight,” 9 rating it as “hold,” and 0 rating it as “sell.”
The public float for WM is 400.48M and currently, short sellers hold a 0.93% ratio of that float. The average trading volume of WM on February 05, 2025 was 1.69M shares.
WM’s Market Performance
WM’s stock has seen a 3.97% increase for the week, with a 10.77% rise in the past month and a 2.91% gain in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.32%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 1.49% for Waste Management, Inc The simple moving average for the last 20 days is 4.94% for WM stock, with a simple moving average of 5.45% for the last 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of WM
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for WM stocks, with Scotiabank repeating the rating for WM by listing it as a “Sector Outperform.” The predicted price for WM in the upcoming period, according to Scotiabank is $250 based on the research report published on January 27, 2025 of the current year 2025.
Scotiabank, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see WM reach a price target of $220. The rating they have provided for WM stocks is “Sector Perform” according to the report published on October 04th, 2024.
WM Trading at 4.12% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought WM to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -3.58% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 1.49%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.32%, as shares surge +10.16% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading +1.41% upper at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, WM rose by +3.97%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +7.76% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $211.68. In addition, Waste Management, Inc saw 10.08% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further gains.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at WM starting from Hemmer Tara J., who sale 4,576 shares at the price of $222.12 back on Feb 04 ’25. After this action, Hemmer Tara J. now owns 58,765 shares of Waste Management, Inc, valued at $1,016,421 using the latest closing price.
Rankin Devina A, the EVP & CFO of Waste Management, Inc, sale 5,826 shares at $222.12 during a trade that took place back on Feb 04 ’25, which means that Rankin Devina A is holding 69,442 shares at $1,294,071 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for WM
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.19 for the present operating margin
- 0.35 for the gross margin
The net margin for Waste Management, Inc stands at 0.12. The total capital return value is set at 0.77. Equity return is now at value 35.38, with 7.92 for asset returns.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 5.13 billion with net debt to EBITDA at -0.9. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 3.8. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 0.89.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Waste Management, Inc (WM) has seen better performance in recent times. Analysts have a mixed opinion on the stock, with some rating it as a “buy” and others rating it as a “hold”. It is worth mentioning that the stock is currently trading in close proximity to its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
