Waste Management, Inc. $WM Stock: Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Lowers Stake

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 3.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 864,959 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 27,662 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $176,382,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Main Street Group LTD bought a new position in Waste Management during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Balance Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the second quarter worth $36,000. Markowski Investments bought a new position in Waste Management during the second quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC raised its stake in Waste Management by 93.5% during the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 180 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Waste Management maintained its 2026 outlook and guided revenue and free cash flow toward the high ends of its ranges, reassuring investors that growth remains on track. Waste Management Could Be 9% Undervalued After High End Guidance Reaffirmed
• Positive Sentiment: The healthcare business was a major growth driver, with operating EBITDA reportedly rising 33% year over year. Nine-month free cash flow also increased more than 42%, supporting capital returns and the company’s buyback program. WM Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Healthcare Gains and Volume Pressure
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their targets, including JPMorgan to $260 and Barclays to $283, while retaining overweight ratings. These revisions imply additional upside and reflect confidence in WM’s defensive cash flows and outlook. JPMorgan Waste Management Ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming CEO transition is attracting investor attention. Continuity in strategy and execution could support the stock, but leadership changes introduce uncertainty until further details are provided. Waste Management Earnings Call Signals Resilient Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Slowing waste volumes and higher fuel costs are pressuring margins. Earlier reports that WM shares gapped lower and broke below the 200-day moving average reflected the market’s initial disappointment with earnings and operational trends. WM Q3 Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Income investors face a longer-term risk: although WM has raised its dividend annually since 2009, persistent volume weakness could constrain future increases. The stock also trades at a relatively premium earnings multiple. Can Waste Management Keep Raising Its Dividend for Decades?

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, CAO John Carroll sold 1,365 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.90, for a total value of $300,163.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $771,629.10. This trade represents a 28.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on WM. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $244.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 target price on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Thursday. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lowered their target price on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $263.00 target price on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Thursday. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.89.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM stock opened at $233.33 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $92.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.38. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $194.11 and a 52 week high of $248.13. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $217.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $225.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $2.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.78% and a return on equity of 31.97%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.98 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.9450 per share. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 49.61%.

Waste Management Profile

Waste Management, Inc, doing business as WM (NYSE:WM), is an environmental services company that provides waste collection, transportation, disposal, recycling and resource-recovery services. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers through a network of collection operations, transfer stations, landfills, recycling facilities and other environmental infrastructure.

WM’s services include curbside and commercial waste collection, construction and demolition debris management, recycling, organics processing and landfill disposal.