Aberdeen Group plc Trims Stake in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Aberdeen Group plc lessened its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 526,873 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 97,317 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.13% of Waste Management worth $116,339,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 101.5% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Price Performance

Waste Management stock opened at $234.07 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $242.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $221.94 and its 200 day moving average is $219.27. The company has a market cap of $94.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.94, a PEG ratio of 2.48 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 for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The business had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.70 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group raised Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $238.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 1,021 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.71, for a total value of $239,638.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,950,205.39. This trade represents a 10.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 5,706 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.87, for a total value of $1,317,344.22. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 220,087 shares in the company, valued at $50,811,485.69. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 44,580 shares of company stock valued at $10,198,938. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Key Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Independent valuation suggests WM is materially undervalued — a Yahoo Finance analysis estimates intrinsic value implying roughly a 22% upside versus the current price; that type of third‑party valuation can attract value-focused buyers. An Intrinsic Calculation For Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Suggests It’s 22% Undervalued
• Positive Sentiment: Private‑equity M&A activity in the waste sector — Platinum Equity’s sale of Urbaser to Blackstone/EQT for $6.6B — highlights strong deal appetite and could re‑rate sector multiples if buyers pay premiums for scale and stable cash flows. Platinum Equity to sell waste management firm Urbaser to Blackstone, EQT for $6.6 billion
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed revenue growth but a slight EPS miss vs. consensus (reported $1.93 vs. $1.95) and mixed analyst moves; consensus remains a Moderate Buy with a mid‑$250s price target—supportive longer‑term but not a catalyst by itself. MarketBeat coverage summarizing earnings and analyst commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling by senior executives — recent filings show the CEO sold multi‑million dollars of stock (reports: ~$1.32M and ~$7.00M) — which can spook some investors even when sales are pre‑planned or for diversification. Waste Management (NYSE:WM) CEO Sells $1,317,344.22 in Stock Waste Management (NYSE:WM) CEO Sells $7,000,640.40 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider disposals include CAO John Carroll selling 1,021 shares (SEC filing) and another director sale; smaller on an absolute basis but contributes to near‑term negative optics. John Carroll Sells 1,021 Shares of Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Stock James Fish, Jr. Sells 657 Shares of Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Stock

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.