Waste Management (NYSE:WM) SVP Johnson Varkey Sells 428 Shares

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) SVP Johnson Varkey sold 428 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.63, for a total transaction of $94,001.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 10,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,245,497.12. The trade was a 4.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Waste Management Price Performance

Waste Management stock opened at $223.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.58. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $242.58. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $219.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.16.

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

Waste Management Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WM. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Waste Management by 51.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,384,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the period. Sprott Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter worth about $325,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 107.6% in the second quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 2,250 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $515,000 after acquiring an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 4.6% in the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 58,152 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $13,306,000 after purchasing an additional 2,583 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Group LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 15,417 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on WM shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted 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. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. CIBC decreased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, National Bankshares dropped their price objective on Waste Management from $250.00 to $243.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.55.

Key Stories Impacting Waste Management

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

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.