Argent Trust Co Acquires 3,589 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Argent Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 20,351 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,589 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $4,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Waste Management by 51.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,384,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. Sprott Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter valued at $325,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 7.8% during the second quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 7,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,830,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 13.4% in the 2nd quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH grew its position in Waste Management by 17.0% during the 2nd quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 35,002 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,009,000 after purchasing an additional 5,075 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 690 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.71, for a total transaction of $151,599.90. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 83,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,397,636.56. The trade was a 0.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 6,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. The trade was a 66.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 62,820 shares of company stock valued at $14,487,482. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.55.

Key Stories Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Broader market/industry tailwind — a report highlights long-term growth in the healthcare waste-management market, which supports demand for regulated waste services and can benefit large, diversified providers like WM. Healthcare Waste Management Market Size
• Positive Sentiment: Price momentum since earnings — investor notes point out WM has rallied since its last quarterly report, prompting discussion of whether that momentum can continue (supports short-term buying interest). Zacks: WM Up Since Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative performance debate — a Barchart piece notes WM has lagged the S&P 500 over the past year but reports analysts remain moderately optimistic; this frames the stock as undervalued by some and fairly valued by others. Is WM Underperforming the S&P 500?
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector peer activity — news of contract wins at smaller regional waste/cleaning firms highlights steady demand in services markets but has limited direct impact on WM’s fundamentals. Primech Contract Wins
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — WM’s CAO John A. Carroll sold 37 shares (small dollar amount) in a disclosed SEC filing; while the size is minor, insider sales can create short-term sentiment pressure. CAO Sale SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — WM’s CFO David L. Reed also sold 37 shares (disclosed in SEC filing); again small in size but contributes to the narrative of insider trimming. CFO Sale SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional reduction — Aster Capital significantly trimmed its WM stake (reported reduction), a data point that can amplify selling pressure from funds rebalancing. Aster Capital Reduces Position
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation critique — analysis on Seeking Alpha calls WM a reliable dividend name but argues the stock trades at a premium, highlighting valuation as a potential restraint on further multiple expansion. Seeking Alpha: Dividend Darling, But Premium Stinks

Waste Management Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $240.78 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $225.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $219.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.94, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.58. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $242.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. Analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management 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.