Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. Has $1.97 Million Stock Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. increased its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 46.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,924 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,820 shares during the period. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,967,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management during the third quarter worth $41,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth about $43,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 worth $54,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Gladwyn Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.06, for a total transaction of $299,542.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,373,112.40. This trade represents a 8.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $246 and kept an “overweight” rating, signaling confidence in WM’s upside and providing immediate support for the stock. Wells Fargo raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks previews expect Q4 revenue up ~14.5% to $6.4B and EPS around $1.95, saying Collection and Healthcare segments are driving growth — a beat vs. cyclic worries would likely lift the shares. WM Gears Up to Post Q4 Earnings: Here’s What Investors Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat/other publications continue to profile WM as a defensive, dividend-backed infrastructure play (long runway from landfill/regulatory moats), which supports interest from income-focused investors. Waste Management company overview (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks deeper analysis explores metric-level estimates (like volumes, pricing, fuel and benefit impacts) that will drive Q4 results — useful for parsing beats/misses beyond headline EPS. What Analyst Projections for Key Metrics Reveal About WM Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market commentary (TipRanks, Zacks market wrap) highlights WM’s resilience and modest upside in technical studies — these pieces can attract momentum flows but are not fundamental catalysts. TipRanks sector piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank reiterated a “Sector Perform” stance (keeps coverage steady) — a neutral signal that tempers extreme bullishness but doesn’t add fresh negative pressure. Scotiabank reiterates Sector Perform
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank/other outlets have also been reported as downgrading WM in recent headlines, which creates conflicting analyst signals and can pressure sentiment ahead of results. Scotiabank downgrades Waste Management (MSN)
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays/other reports issued pessimistic price forecasts — coupled with WM’s prior quarterly slight EPS/revenue miss, these bearish calls could weigh on shares if the Q4 print or guidance disappoints. Barclays issues pessimistic forecast

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of WM opened at $229.22 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $217.86 and a 200 day moving average of $219.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.10, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.59. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $242.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.03). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm had revenue of $6.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 51.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Barclays lowered their price target on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $251.19.

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.