Korea Investment CORP Purchases 163,907 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Korea Investment CORP grew its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 83.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 359,995 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 163,907 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $79,498,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WM. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,064,206,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 444.3% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,206,026 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $487,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800,728 shares in the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP grew its stake in Waste Management by 55.5% in the second quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 2,897,636 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $663,037,000 after acquiring an additional 1,034,258 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 982.3% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 886,164 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $195,692,000 after acquiring an additional 804,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 2.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,436,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,487,924,000 after purchasing an additional 774,255 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $246.24 on Monday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $248.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $227.95 and a 200-day moving average of $219.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The company has a market capitalization of $99.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.945 dividend. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.25%.

Insider Activity

In other Waste Management news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total value of $1,165,136.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 78,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,084,739.94. This represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total value of $1,724,044.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at $3,644,130. The trade was a 32.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 85,548 shares of company stock valued at $19,984,913. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WM. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. One equities research 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.