Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Increases Stock Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 4.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 465,693 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 17,931 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $102,839,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,583,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the third quarter worth about $3,092,000. Guerra Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 59.5% in the third quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 9,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,996,000 after acquiring an additional 3,371 shares during the period. Compass Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Waste Management by 537.0% during the third quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,721 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $21,138,000 after acquiring an additional 80,695 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Waste Management by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 69,287 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,301,000 after acquiring an additional 11,135 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Price Performance

WM opened at $240.78 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.94, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $225.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $219.25. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.70 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Broader market/industry tailwind — a report highlights long-term growth in the healthcare waste-management market, which supports demand for regulated waste services and can benefit large, diversified providers like WM. Healthcare Waste Management Market Size
• Positive Sentiment: Price momentum since earnings — investor notes point out WM has rallied since its last quarterly report, prompting discussion of whether that momentum can continue (supports short-term buying interest). Zacks: WM Up Since Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative performance debate — a Barchart piece notes WM has lagged the S&P 500 over the past year but reports analysts remain moderately optimistic; this frames the stock as undervalued by some and fairly valued by others. Is WM Underperforming the S&P 500?
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector peer activity — news of contract wins at smaller regional waste/cleaning firms highlights steady demand in services markets but has limited direct impact on WM’s fundamentals. Primech Contract Wins
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — WM’s CAO John A. Carroll sold 37 shares (small dollar amount) in a disclosed SEC filing; while the size is minor, insider sales can create short-term sentiment pressure. CAO Sale SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — WM’s CFO David L. Reed also sold 37 shares (disclosed in SEC filing); again small in size but contributes to the narrative of insider trimming. CFO Sale SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional reduction — Aster Capital significantly trimmed its WM stake (reported reduction), a data point that can amplify selling pressure from funds rebalancing. Aster Capital Reduces Position
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation critique — analysis on Seeking Alpha calls WM a reliable dividend name but argues the stock trades at a premium, highlighting valuation as a potential restraint on further multiple expansion. Seeking Alpha: Dividend Darling, But Premium Stinks

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on WM shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group upgraded Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 1,021 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.71, for a total transaction of $239,638.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,309 shares in the company, valued at $1,950,205.39. This represents a 10.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of Waste Management 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 transaction, 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 62,820 shares of company stock worth $14,487,482 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by 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.