Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 9,149 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 2.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 435,853 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 9,149 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $96,249,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WM. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 2nd quarter valued at $43,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 47.0% during the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gladwyn Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth $58,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts raised their price targets for WM (new targets cited in the news ranged roughly from $235 to $270), signaling increased analyst confidence in the company’s outlook and likely supporting buying interest. Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $270.00 Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $250.00
• Positive Sentiment: Highlights from WM’s recent earnings call emphasized healthy cash flow, margin strength and RNG initiatives—operational themes that support medium-term earnings growth and reinforce the rationale behind analyst upgrades. Waste Management Earnings Call Highlights Cash, Margins, RNG
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing/sponsorship exposure — the WM Phoenix Open Pro‑Am attracted high-profile names, which boosts brand visibility but is unlikely to move fundamentals materially. WM Phoenix Open Pro-Am draws in more big names, including MLB stars and TV favorites
• Negative Sentiment: Numerous senior executives (CFO, COO, multiple SVPs and VPs) disclosed sales on Jan. 30 that trimmed individual holdings by roughly 0.6%–4%. While these appear to be routine monetizations rather than departures, the cluster of insider sales (totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars across filings) can be perceived negatively by some investors. Representative SEC filing: SEC Filing — Johnson Varkey Sale

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 690 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.01, for a total value of $151,116.90. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 22,892 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,013,576.92. The trade was a 2.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO John A. Carroll sold 220 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.57, for a total value of $48,305.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,048,588.10. This trade represents a 2.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 6,806 shares of company stock worth $1,490,204 over the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of WM stock opened at $223.18 on Tuesday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $194.11 and a 1-year high of $242.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The stock has a market cap of $89.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.31, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $219.48 and a 200-day moving average of $219.16.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were given a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on WM. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $238.00 to $242.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. DZ Bank assumed coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.55.

About Waste Management

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.