Legal & General Group Plc Has $583.47 Million Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,642,163 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 62,108 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $583,469,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Waste Management by 2.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,436,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,487,924,000 after buying an additional 774,255 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,647,146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,972,856,000 after buying an additional 126,329 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,390,971 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,232,131,000 after acquiring an additional 74,528 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,064,206,000. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in Waste Management by 8.6% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 3,596,281 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $804,809,000 after acquiring an additional 284,733 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78), a meaningful boost vs. the prior payout that supports income investors and signals confidence in cash flow. Dividend Increases Article
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Wall Street firms have recently raised price targets and reiterated buy/outperform views (Stifel, TD Cowen, Bernstein, Oppenheimer), leaving consensus target above the current price and providing analyst-driven support. MarketBeat Analyst Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/retail momentum signals: IBD upgraded Waste Management’s Relative Strength rating and the stock is featured positively in a Motley Fool piece, which can attract momentum and retail buying. IBD Upgrade / Yahoo Motley Fool
• Neutral Sentiment: Company executives (CEO, EVP engineering) are participating in industry events (Waste Management 2026) discussing advanced waste solutions — positive for long-term positioning but not an immediate stock mover. Conference / GlobeNewswire
• Neutral Sentiment: Market recap/analyst consensus remains constructive (moderate buy, avg. target ~ $253.55) and institutional ownership is high; these are steadying factors but not immediate catalysts. MarketBeat Consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: COO John Morris disclosed large sales (7,979 shares / prior filings show additional sales), and several other senior officers reported smaller disposals — large insider exits can spook investors and weigh on intraday price. InsiderTrades Alert American Banking News
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results slightly missed consensus (EPS $1.93 vs. $1.95; revenue $6.31B vs. $6.39B), which can amplify short-term selling pressure when combined with insider sales. Earnings Recap
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary and headlines note a larger-than-market drop today, a reflection of the net effect of these negative signals outweighing positives in the near term. Zacks Drop Report

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, UBS Group raised Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.55.

Waste Management Stock Down 4.6%

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $235.21 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $228.70 and its 200-day moving average is $220.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $248.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.87 billion, a PE ratio of 35.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.57.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.945 dividend. 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 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.25%.

Insider Activity

In other Waste Management news, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 30,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.36, for a total transaction of $7,000,640.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 225,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,013,675.48. This represents a 11.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total value of $1,724,044.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,644,130. The trade was a 32.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.