Rathbones Group PLC Increases Stock Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Rathbones Group PLC raised its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 411,118 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,073 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC owned approximately 0.10% of Waste Management worth $90,787,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 101.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in Waste Management during the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 47.0% during the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 617 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.13, for a total value of $150,628.21. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,345,356.91. The trade was a 6.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $2,847,055.12. Following the sale, the vice president owned 6,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. The trade was a 66.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 85,548 shares of company stock worth $19,984,913 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Waste Management in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.55.

Trending Headlines about Waste Management

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

Waste Management Stock Up 0.1%

WM opened at $246.24 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $248.13. The company has a market cap of $99.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.75, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. The business’s fifty day moving average is $227.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.94.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.70 earnings per share. Waste Management’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. 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. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.25%.

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.