Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Sold by Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 59.4% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 6,685 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 9,766 shares during the quarter. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,476,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 101.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 47.0% during the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total transaction of $1,165,136.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 78,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,084,739.94. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total value of $1,024,873.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 99,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,320,720.02. This represents a 4.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Waste Management News

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

Waste Management Trading Down 4.6%

NYSE:WM opened at $235.21 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $94.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.57. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $228.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $220.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $194.11 and a 52 week high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.70 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 49.25%.

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.