Insider Selling: Waste Management (NYSE:WM) VP Sells $4,171,464.31 in Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) VP Michael Watson sold 17,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total value of $4,171,464.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 44,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. This represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $245.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The company has a market cap of $99.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.57. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $246.45. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $227.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $219.84.

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). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The company had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 553,605 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Waste Management by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,390,748 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,820,921,000 after purchasing an additional 281,456 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,993,006 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,972,371,000 after buying an additional 117,476 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Waste Management by 5.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,668,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,250,613,000 after buying an additional 277,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,022,916,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (14.5% increase), payable March 27 — a direct boost to income-oriented demand and a sign of strong cash flow. WM Announces Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Major analysts have reiterated/raised targets and issued buy/overweight ratings (Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Oppenheimer, Bernstein among others), supporting upside sentiment vs. the consensus price target near $253.55. MarketBeat WM Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Value-comparison pieces (MEG vs WM) are highlighting relative valuation and growth trade-offs; useful for longer-term positioning but unlikely to swing intraday trading materially. MEG or WM: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: multiple senior executives (including Michael Watson, Tara Hemmer and SVP Johnson Varkey) sold sizable blocks in early March—creates headline risk and potential short‑term selling pressure. Investors will watch whether sales continue. Top Waste Management Executives Quietly Unload Millions
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results slightly missed consensus (EPS $1.93 vs. $1.95; revenue $6.31B vs. $6.39B), which trims near-term upside and keeps focus on margin and volume trends. MarketBeat WM Coverage

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on WM shares. Weiss Ratings raised Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. DZ Bank initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

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.