Saturna Capital Corp Boosts Stake in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Saturna Capital Corp lifted its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 65.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 270,936 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 107,305 shares during the quarter. Saturna Capital Corp owned approximately 0.07% of Waste Management worth $62,258,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $8,566,508,000 after acquiring an additional 553,605 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Waste Management by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,390,748 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,820,921,000 after purchasing an additional 281,456 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,993,006 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,972,371,000 after purchasing an additional 117,476 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $1,022,916,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 0.3% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,954,519 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $873,276,000 after buying an additional 11,688 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of WM stock opened at $232.94 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $93.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $223.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $226.74.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. The business 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

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

Key Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha says Waste Management remains a defensive holding with a positive outlook, which may support investor confidence in the stock’s long-term stability. Waste Management: Positive Outlook As Defensive Anchor Remains
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are expecting earnings growth from Waste Management, but current setup suggests the company may not have the ideal ingredients for an earnings beat in the upcoming report. Waste Management (WM) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Another earnings preview noted that Waste Management is expected to post higher profits, but revenue and beat expectations remain uncertain, keeping sentiment mixed ahead of results. Waste Management (WM) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: MarketBeat and Zacks both highlighted that WM fell as the broader market advanced, suggesting recent weakness may reflect profit-taking or relative underperformance rather than a company-specific catalyst. Waste Management (WM) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: Waste Management also announced it will end service in a Centre County township, a local operational change that may be viewed negatively by some investors, though the financial impact appears limited. Waste Management to end service in a Centre County township

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WM. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce upgraded Waste Management from a “hold” rating to an “outperformer” rating and set a $244.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on Waste Management from $266.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Waste Management from $264.00 to $263.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup increased their price target on Waste Management from $263.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $256.74.

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.