Lazard Asset Management LLC Buys 8,043 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.6% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,386,375 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,043 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $318,575,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $1,022,916,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Waste Management by 279.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,075,906 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $236,387,000 after acquiring an additional 792,037 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 23,051.5% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 770,945 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $17,716,000 after purchasing an additional 767,615 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 3,209.2% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 681,366 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $150,466,000 after purchasing an additional 660,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Waste Management by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,990,067 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,566,508,000 after buying an additional 553,605 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM opened at $238.86 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $95.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $224.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $227.13. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 54.70%.

Key Headlines Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect WM to report higher revenue and earnings, supported by stronger collection and disposal pricing plus a sharp increase in renewable energy sales. WM Is Set to Report Q2 Earnings: Here’s What Investors Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: WM was highlighted as a stock that can benefit from inflation because its contracts allow it to pass rising costs through to customers, which supports margins and earnings resilience. 2 Stocks Built to Thrive If Inflation Refuses to Fade
• Positive Sentiment: The company was also cited as one of several waste firms using AI to improve efficiency and expand margins, reinforcing the long-term growth narrative. 3 Waste Stocks Turning AI Investments Into Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles published ahead of earnings focused on Wall Street estimates and key operating metrics, suggesting investors are mainly waiting for the actual Q2 report before making a bigger move. Curious about Waste Management (WM) Q2 Performance? Explore Wall Street Estimates for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: One broad S&P 500 article mentioned WM among companies worth investigating, but it did not provide a specific new catalyst for the stock. 1 S&P 500 Stock Worth Investigating and 2 Facing Challenges

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Waste Management from $264.00 to $263.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with 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 $256.74.

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.