Waste Management (NYSE:WM) SVP Tara Hemmer Sells 4,818 Shares of Stock

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) SVP Tara Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total value of $1,165,136.94. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 78,918 shares in the company, valued at $19,084,739.94. This represents a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $243.36 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.16 billion, a PE ratio of 36.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $226.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $219.49. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $194.11 and a twelve month high of $244.88.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.70 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is 49.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen raised their target price on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. DZ Bank began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,990,067 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,566,508,000 after acquiring an additional 553,605 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Waste Management by 1.6% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,668,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,250,613,000 after purchasing an additional 277,250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,022,916,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: WM declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.945 per share payable March 27 (record date March 13). The cash return and the predictable dividend schedule support income-focused demand and reinforce the company’s cash generation narrative. WM Announces Cash Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/peer news: a third‑party hazardous waste vendor celebrated an anniversary — a sector-level item with limited direct impact on WM’s fundamentals or near-term stock movement. All Clean Hazardous Waste Removal Celebrates Over 12 Years
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares on March 2 — including VP Michael J. Watson (17,251 shares at ~$241.81, a ~28.1% cut to his stake) and SVP Tara J. Hemmer (4,818 shares at ~$241.83). Smaller sales were filed by senior executives including the CFO. Large officer sales can create short-term selling pressure or signal portfolio rebalancing; investors will watch whether sales continue. Insider Sale SEC Filing (Michael J. Watson)

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.