Waste Management (NYSE:WM) VP Sells $150,995.73 in Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) VP Michael Watson sold 687 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.79, for a total transaction of $150,995.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 48,755 shares in the company, valued at $10,715,861.45. The trade was a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of WM opened at $226.44 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $91.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.89. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $194.11 and a 52 week high of $242.58. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $219.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $219.19.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The company had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.70 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on WM shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

Key Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets and reiterated buy/overweight views, boosting investor confidence in WM’s medium‑term outlook; several published targets cited in recent coverage range into the mid‑$200s. Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $270.00
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings‑call highlights emphasize healthy cash flow, margin resilience and growth in renewable natural gas (RNG) initiatives — operational drivers that support earnings upgrades and the higher targets. Waste Management Earnings Call Highlights Cash, Margins, RNG
• Neutral Sentiment: High‑visibility sponsorships and events (WM Phoenix Open) are generating media attention and brand exposure; useful for marketing but unlikely to move fundamentals materially. What Waste Management Phoenix Open is doing differently for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational work such as winter‑storm collection recovery in Jackson underscores steady municipal and service demand but is routine for WM’s service footprint. City of Jackson, Waste Management to begin winter storm trash collection recovery efforts
• Negative Sentiment: A cluster of insider sales (multiple executives and senior VPs disclosed small single‑day sales on Jan. 30) could be perceived negatively by some investors even though the transactions look like routine monetizations and only trimmed stakes modestly. Representative SEC disclosure. SEC Filing — Johnson Varkey Sale

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Moneco Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC now owns 4,577 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Waste Management by 21.8% during the 4th quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 5,730 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,259,000 after buying an additional 1,026 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Waste Management by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,672 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $367,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in Waste Management by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 52,282 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,487,000 after acquiring an additional 1,917 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Community Bank N.A. raised its stake in Waste Management by 32.4% during the fourth quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 8,888 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,953,000 after acquiring an additional 2,175 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.