Korea Investment CORP Acquires 163,907 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Korea Investment CORP boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 83.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 359,995 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 163,907 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP owned about 0.09% of Waste Management worth $79,498,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 101.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in 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 period. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. DZ Bank began coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.55.

Key Stories Impacting 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 Price Performance

Waste Management stock opened at $246.24 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $227.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $219.87. 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 stock has a market cap of $99.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.57. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 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 business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total value of $1,724,044.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at $3,644,130. The trade was a 32.12% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 85,548 shares of company stock worth $19,984,913 over the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently 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.