Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Sold by Johnson Financial Group Inc.

Johnson Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 53.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,013 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,331 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $461,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management during the first quarter worth $38,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 1st quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its holdings in Waste Management by 381.0% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 202 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price target on Waste Management from $271.00 to $266.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Waste Management from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird raised Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $238.00 to $242.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $260.00 target price on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.68.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.06, for a total value of $299,542.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,373,112.40. This trade represents a 8.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE WM opened at $217.66 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $242.58. The firm has a market cap of $87.69 billion, a PE ratio of 34.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $212.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.03). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company had revenue of $6.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. Waste Management has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.97%.

Waste Management Profile

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.