Waste Management (NYSE:WM) EVP Charles Boettcher Sells 689 Shares

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) EVP Charles Boettcher sold 689 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.32, for a total transaction of $151,111.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 56,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,316,791.88. The trade was a 1.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.4%

WM stock opened at $223.18 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $219.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $219.16. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $242.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.91 billion, a PE ratio of 33.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 49.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Syntegra Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake 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 worth $524,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its position in Waste Management by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co increased its holdings in Waste Management by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 4,120 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $943,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC raised 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 valued at $422,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,341,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

More 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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. DZ Bank assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. CIBC lowered their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. National Bankshares dropped their target price on Waste Management from $250.00 to $243.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

About Waste Management

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.