Bell Asset Management Ltd Invests $4.95 Million in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Bell Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 22,411 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,949,000. Waste Management comprises 1.4% of Bell Asset Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Clean Yield Group grew its position in Waste Management by 6.7% during the third quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 801 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Mendel Money Management increased its holdings in Waste Management by 1.8% during the third quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 2,903 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $641,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 1.2% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,419 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,011,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Canton Hathaway LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Canton Hathaway LLC now owns 9,644 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,130,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/coverage bullishness and thesis: Multiple recent write-ups argue WM remains a buy/retain due to its scale, dependable cash flows and margin expansion opportunities tied to Stericycle integration and network optimization. That supportive analyst tone can lift demand. Reasons Why You Should Retain Waste Management Stock for Now
• Positive Sentiment: Renewables and pricing tailwinds: Coverage highlights Waste Management’s push into landfill-gas-to-renewable projects and steady pricing power across collection and disposal — factors that support earnings durability and multiple expansion. Zacks: Retain Waste Management
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase: WM raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78), raising yield and signaling confidence in cash flow — a concrete positive for income-focused investors. MarketBeat: Dividend and Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: “Tariff-proof”/defensive flows: WM appears on lists of defensive, tariff-resistant stocks institutional investors are favoring amid macro uncertainty — supportive but not company-specific. 247WallSt: Tariff-Proof Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Bull thesis summaries and comparisons: Several outlet pieces and substack notes summarize bullish rationales and compare WM vs peers (MEG), useful for positioning but not immediate catalysts. Yahoo: Bullish Thesis Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Small Q4 miss: WM reported $1.93 EPS vs. $1.95 expected and revenue of $6.31B vs. $6.39B consensus — the miss is modest but reminds investors growth isn’t perfectly linear and can cap upside near-term. MarketBeat: Earnings & Analyst Notes
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Recent insider sales (SVP Johnson Varkey and an executive sale reported by AmericanBankingNews) could be viewed as a near-term negative signal, increasing supply and adding caution for some investors. InsiderTrades: SVP Sale AmericanBankingNews: Executive Sale

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total value of $1,165,136.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 78,918 shares in the company, valued at $19,084,739.94. This represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $2,847,055.12. Following the sale, the vice president owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. The trade was a 66.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 85,548 shares of company stock worth $19,984,913 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. DZ Bank started coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.1%

WM opened at $246.24 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $99.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $227.95 and its 200 day moving average is $219.87. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13.

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

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.945 per share. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 49.25%.

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.