Creekmur Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Creekmur Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 112.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,381 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,443 shares during the quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,851,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 51.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,384,000 after purchasing an additional 2,320 shares in the last quarter. Sprott Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter worth about $325,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 7.8% in the second quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 7,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,830,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 13.4% during the second quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in Waste Management by 17.0% during the second quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 35,002 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,009,000 after acquiring an additional 5,075 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $240.78 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $225.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $219.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.12 billion, a PE ratio of 35.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $2,847,055.12. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. The trade was a 66.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO John A. Carroll sold 1,021 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.71, for a total value of $239,638.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,950,205.39. This represents a 10.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 62,820 shares of company stock valued at $14,487,482. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Broader market/industry tailwind — a report highlights long-term growth in the healthcare waste-management market, which supports demand for regulated waste services and can benefit large, diversified providers like WM. Healthcare Waste Management Market Size
• Positive Sentiment: Price momentum since earnings — investor notes point out WM has rallied since its last quarterly report, prompting discussion of whether that momentum can continue (supports short-term buying interest). Zacks: WM Up Since Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative performance debate — a Barchart piece notes WM has lagged the S&P 500 over the past year but reports analysts remain moderately optimistic; this frames the stock as undervalued by some and fairly valued by others. Is WM Underperforming the S&P 500?
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector peer activity — news of contract wins at smaller regional waste/cleaning firms highlights steady demand in services markets but has limited direct impact on WM’s fundamentals. Primech Contract Wins
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — WM’s CAO John A. Carroll sold 37 shares (small dollar amount) in a disclosed SEC filing; while the size is minor, insider sales can create short-term sentiment pressure. CAO Sale SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — WM’s CFO David L. Reed also sold 37 shares (disclosed in SEC filing); again small in size but contributes to the narrative of insider trimming. CFO Sale SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional reduction — Aster Capital significantly trimmed its WM stake (reported reduction), a data point that can amplify selling pressure from funds rebalancing. Aster Capital Reduces Position
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation critique — analysis on Seeking Alpha calls WM a reliable dividend name but argues the stock trades at a premium, highlighting valuation as a potential restraint on further multiple expansion. Seeking Alpha: Dividend Darling, But Premium Stinks

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WM. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Barclays decreased their price target on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Waste Management 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.