KBC Group NV Buys 57,028 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

KBC Group NV increased its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 16.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 409,741 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 57,028 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $94,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 55.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised Waste Management’s price target to $260 from $250, suggesting continued upside potential despite maintaining a “sector perform” view.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlighted WM’s strong waste collection network, pricing power, and acquisition strategy as supports for growth and margins.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank trimmed its FY2026 EPS estimate to $8.16 from $8.17, a very small revision that matches the current consensus estimate.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group also nudged FY2027 EPS down to $9.20 from $9.23, another modest cut that does not materially change the long-term earnings outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst notes pointed to WM’s high debt load and slower stock momentum as ongoing concerns that could weigh on investor sentiment.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of WM opened at $239.50 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $194.11 and a 1-year high of $248.13. The company has a market capitalization of $96.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $222.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $226.53.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “hold” rating to an “outperformer” rating and set a $244.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Waste Management from $263.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $256.70.

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.