Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Raises Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.7% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 569,714 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,822 shares during the period. Waste Management comprises about 0.9% of Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $126,978,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $1,022,916,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 279.0% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,075,906 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $236,387,000 after acquiring an additional 792,037 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 23,051.5% during the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 770,945 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $17,716,000 after acquiring an additional 767,615 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 3,209.2% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 681,366 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $150,466,000 after purchasing an additional 660,776 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Waste Management by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,990,067 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,566,508,000 after purchasing an additional 553,605 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on WM. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $264.00 to $263.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $252.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays upped their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on Waste Management from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.89.

Key Stories Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Stronger margins, pricing actions and cash flow are helping Waste Management offset pressure from softer collection volumes and support continued earnings growth. WM’s 2026 Outlook Tests Whether Margin Gains Can Offset Softer Volumes
• Positive Sentiment: Technology-driven efficiency initiatives, contributions from the Stericycle acquisition and dependable dividend payments provide potential long-term growth and shareholder-return support. Here’s Why Investors Must Hold WM Stock in Their Portfolios Now
• Positive Sentiment: WM’s underperformance relative to the broader market may attract investors seeking a potentially favorable entry point in a defensive, cash-generating waste-services company. Waste Management (WM) Fell Behind the Rally. Is It an Opportunity?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry trends point to ongoing equipment innovation, but the broad waste-management equipment market discussion offers limited new information specific to WM’s near-term results. Waste Management Equipment Market Future Trends and Innovations
• Negative Sentiment: Waste Management lowered its 2026 revenue outlook because of weaker volumes, increasing concern that margin gains may not fully compensate for slower underlying demand. WM’s 2026 Outlook Tests Whether Margin Gains Can Offset Softer Volumes
• Negative Sentiment: WM’s elevated valuation leaves less room for execution problems, while substantial debt and weak liquidity could constrain financial flexibility and amplify downside risk. Is WM Stock Worth Buying as Margins Rise but Valuation Stays Rich?

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM opened at $224.73 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $227.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $227.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.83 billion, a PE ratio of 31.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.44.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.04. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.11% and a return on equity of 31.68%. The business had revenue of $6.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.92 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.14 EPS for the current year.

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.