Waste Management (NYSE:WM) COO John Morris Sells 690 Shares of Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) COO John Morris sold 690 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.49, for a total value of $151,448.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 106,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,405,316.15. The trade was a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Waste Management Price Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $223.18 on Tuesday. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $242.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $89.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.31, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $219.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.16.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.70 EPS. Research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 49.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on WM shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. CIBC dropped their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. National Bankshares reduced their price target on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $243.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.55.

Key Waste Management News

Here are the key news stories impacting Waste Management this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts raised their price targets for WM (new targets cited in the news ranged roughly from $235 to $270), signaling increased analyst confidence in the company’s outlook and likely supporting buying interest. Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $270.00 Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $250.00
• Positive Sentiment: Highlights from WM’s recent earnings call emphasized healthy cash flow, margin strength and RNG initiatives—operational themes that support medium-term earnings growth and reinforce the rationale behind analyst upgrades. Waste Management Earnings Call Highlights Cash, Margins, RNG
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing/sponsorship exposure — the WM Phoenix Open Pro‑Am attracted high-profile names, which boosts brand visibility but is unlikely to move fundamentals materially. WM Phoenix Open Pro-Am draws in more big names, including MLB stars and TV favorites
• Negative Sentiment: Numerous senior executives (CFO, COO, multiple SVPs and VPs) disclosed sales on Jan. 30 that trimmed individual holdings by roughly 0.6%–4%. While these appear to be routine monetizations rather than departures, the cluster of insider sales (totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars across filings) can be perceived negatively by some investors. Representative SEC filing: SEC Filing — Johnson Varkey Sale

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Syntegra Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Waste Management by 2.0% during the second quarter. Syntegra Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,291 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $524,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of Waste Management by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co boosted its stake in Waste Management by 1.1% in the second quarter. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 4,120 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $943,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,922 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $422,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,341,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Company Profile

Waste Management, Inc (NYSE: WM) is a leading provider of integrated waste management and environmental services in North America. The company offers end-to-end solutions that span collection, transfer, disposal and recycling, along with landfill operations and related infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Waste Management serves a broad customer base that includes residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

Core services include curbside and commercial waste collection, roll-off and temporary container services, materials recovery and recycling, and engineered landfill disposal.