Insider Selling: Waste Management (NYSE:WM) VP Sells 687 Shares of Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) VP Michael Watson sold 687 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.79, for a total value of $150,995.73. Following the sale, the vice president owned 48,755 shares in the company, valued at $10,715,861.45. This trade represents a 1.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM stock traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $221.48. The stock had a trading volume of 909,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,195,687. 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 has a market capitalization of $89.23 billion, a PE ratio of 33.06, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $219.25 and its 200 day moving average is $219.17. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $194.11 and a twelve month high of $242.58.

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 business 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WM. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,990,067 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,566,508,000 after acquiring an additional 553,605 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 1.5% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,647,146 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,972,856,000 after acquiring an additional 126,329 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 5.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,668,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,250,613,000 after buying an additional 277,250 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,064,206,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Waste Management by 0.3% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,954,519 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $873,276,000 after purchasing an additional 11,688 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on WM shares. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. National Bankshares cut 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. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. CIBC decreased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.55.

Waste Management News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised price targets on WM, with new targets reported in the $235–$270 range, signaling analyst confidence in the company’s outlook and providing upside support for the stock. Price target $270 article Price target $250 article
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings-call takeaways emphasized strong cash flow, solid margins and growth in renewable natural gas (RNG) initiatives — items that support long-term revenue quality and margin expansion. Earnings call highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing / brand exposure: the WM Phoenix Open Pro‑Am drew high‑profile attendees, a one‑off PR benefit that can aid brand recognition but is unlikely to move fundamentals. WM Phoenix Open article
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling disclosed: on Jan. 30 multiple senior executives (CFO, COO, several SVPs/VPs and the CAO/EVP) sold shares in lots generally between ~157–690 shares each, modestly reducing their holdings. Clustered insider sales can create short‑term negative sentiment even if routine (diversification or planned sales). Representative SEC filing: Insider sale filing

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.