Silphium Asset Management Ltd Cuts Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Silphium Asset Management Ltd lessened its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 40.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,915 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 8,600 shares during the period. Silphium Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,852,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the second quarter worth approximately $43,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in Waste Management by 47.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Gladwyn Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE WM opened at $223.18 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.31, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $219.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.16. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly 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). The company had revenue of $6.31 billion during 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%. Waste Management’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.70 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 49.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WM. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $238.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Waste Management News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts raised their price targets for WM (new targets cited in the news ranged roughly from $235 to $270), signaling increased analyst confidence in the company’s outlook and likely supporting buying interest. Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $270.00 Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $250.00
• Positive Sentiment: Highlights from WM’s recent earnings call emphasized healthy cash flow, margin strength and RNG initiatives—operational themes that support medium-term earnings growth and reinforce the rationale behind analyst upgrades. Waste Management Earnings Call Highlights Cash, Margins, RNG
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing/sponsorship exposure — the WM Phoenix Open Pro‑Am attracted high-profile names, which boosts brand visibility but is unlikely to move fundamentals materially. WM Phoenix Open Pro-Am draws in more big names, including MLB stars and TV favorites
• Negative Sentiment: Numerous senior executives (CFO, COO, multiple SVPs and VPs) disclosed sales on Jan. 30 that trimmed individual holdings by roughly 0.6%–4%. While these appear to be routine monetizations rather than departures, the cluster of insider sales (totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars across filings) can be perceived negatively by some investors. Representative SEC filing: SEC Filing — Johnson Varkey Sale

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related news, CFO David L. Reed sold 270 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.62, for a total value of $59,027.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 8,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,933,256.66. The trade was a 2.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 690 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.01, for a total transaction of $151,116.90. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 22,892 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,013,576.92. The trade was a 2.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,806 shares of company stock worth $1,490,204. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.