Impax Asset Management Group plc Buys 4,557 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,117,078 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,557 shares during the period. Waste Management comprises approximately 1.4% of Impax Asset Management Group plc’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $246,684,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 101.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in Waste Management during the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings raised Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $231.79 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $220.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $219.15. The company has a market cap of $93.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.58. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced 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). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors 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 yield of 1.4%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.25%.

Key Stories Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly positive on WM, citing steady operations and durable cash flow that support the stock’s premium valuation; analyst sentiment likely helped buy-side interest today. Waste Management Stock: Analyst Estimates & Ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market/sector headlines (e.g., energy/midstream names) are active but not directly tied to WM’s fundamentals; these macro flows can move sentiment but aren’t a primary driver for Waste Management. Williams Companies Stock Climbs as Investors Focus on Gas Demand
• Negative Sentiment: CEO James C. Fish, Jr. disclosed multiple open-market sales this week totaling 36,753 shares (sales on Feb. 6, 9 and 10) for roughly $8.47M at ~ $230/share, reducing his stake materially in the largest single filing (an ~11.9% cut noted in one filing). Broader coverage also flags ~ $17M of insider selling at Waste Management, which can be interpreted by some investors as a cautionary signal. SEC filing: SEC Filing – Insider Sales — additional coverage: Waste Management Insiders Sell US$17m Of Stock

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, CFO David L. Reed sold 270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.62, for a total transaction of $59,027.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,933,256.66. The trade was a 2.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 5,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.87, for a total transaction of $1,317,344.22. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 220,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,811,485.69. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 43,559 shares of company stock valued at $9,959,299 over the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.