First Trust Advisors LP Decreases Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

First Trust Advisors LP trimmed its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 7.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 280,353 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 22,204 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $64,422,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Waste Management by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,990,067 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,566,508,000 after purchasing an additional 553,605 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Waste Management by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,390,748 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,820,921,000 after buying an additional 281,456 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Waste Management by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,993,006 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,972,371,000 after buying an additional 117,476 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,022,916,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 0.3% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,954,519 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $873,276,000 after buying an additional 11,688 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect WM to report higher revenue and earnings, supported by stronger collection and disposal pricing plus a sharp increase in renewable energy sales. WM Is Set to Report Q2 Earnings: Here’s What Investors Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: WM was highlighted as a stock that can benefit from inflation because its contracts allow it to pass rising costs through to customers, which supports margins and earnings resilience. 2 Stocks Built to Thrive If Inflation Refuses to Fade
• Positive Sentiment: The company was also cited as one of several waste firms using AI to improve efficiency and expand margins, reinforcing the long-term growth narrative. 3 Waste Stocks Turning AI Investments Into Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles published ahead of earnings focused on Wall Street estimates and key operating metrics, suggesting investors are mainly waiting for the actual Q2 report before making a bigger move. Curious about Waste Management (WM) Q2 Performance? Explore Wall Street Estimates for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: One broad S&P 500 article mentioned WM among companies worth investigating, but it did not provide a specific new catalyst for the stock. 1 S&P 500 Stock Worth Investigating and 2 Facing Challenges

Waste Management Trading Up 0.7%

WM opened at $238.86 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $227.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.57, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The firm had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.28 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were given a dividend of $0.945 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 54.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce upgraded Waste Management from a “hold” rating to an “outperformer” rating and set a $244.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Waste Management from $263.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $256.74.

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.