Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Sold by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lessened its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 4.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 132,513 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,683 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $29,263,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 101.5% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in Waste Management in the second quarter worth about $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 47.0% during the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total transaction of $1,724,044.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at $3,644,130. This represents a 32.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 6,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 85,548 shares of company stock valued at $19,984,913 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WM shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Waste Management in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $256.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Waste Management News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/coverage bullishness and thesis: Multiple recent write-ups argue WM remains a buy/retain due to its scale, dependable cash flows and margin expansion opportunities tied to Stericycle integration and network optimization. That supportive analyst tone can lift demand. Reasons Why You Should Retain Waste Management Stock for Now
• Positive Sentiment: Renewables and pricing tailwinds: Coverage highlights Waste Management’s push into landfill-gas-to-renewable projects and steady pricing power across collection and disposal — factors that support earnings durability and multiple expansion. Zacks: Retain Waste Management
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase: WM raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78), raising yield and signaling confidence in cash flow — a concrete positive for income-focused investors. MarketBeat: Dividend and Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: “Tariff-proof”/defensive flows: WM appears on lists of defensive, tariff-resistant stocks institutional investors are favoring amid macro uncertainty — supportive but not company-specific. 247WallSt: Tariff-Proof Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Bull thesis summaries and comparisons: Several outlet pieces and substack notes summarize bullish rationales and compare WM vs peers (MEG), useful for positioning but not immediate catalysts. Yahoo: Bullish Thesis Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Small Q4 miss: WM reported $1.93 EPS vs. $1.95 expected and revenue of $6.31B vs. $6.39B consensus — the miss is modest but reminds investors growth isn’t perfectly linear and can cap upside near-term. MarketBeat: Earnings & Analyst Notes
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Recent insider sales (SVP Johnson Varkey and an executive sale reported by AmericanBankingNews) could be viewed as a near-term negative signal, increasing supply and adding caution for some investors. InsiderTrades: SVP Sale AmericanBankingNews: Executive Sale

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM stock opened at $246.24 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $227.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $99.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.75, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.57.

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 return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.25%.

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.