Barclays PLC Reduces Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• Barclays PLC trimmed its stake in Waste Management by 5% in Q3, selling 116,140 shares and ending with 2,184,642 shares (0.54% of the company) valued at about $482.4 million.
• Waste Management raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (a 14.5% increase), payable March 27, implying a $3.78 annual payout and a ~1.5% yield.
• The company slightly missed the latest quarter (EPS $1.93 vs. $1.95 consensus; revenue $6.31B vs. $6.39B) while insiders sold roughly 85,548 shares worth about $20 million this quarter, creating potential near‑term selling pressure.

Barclays PLC decreased its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,184,642 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 116,140 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.54% of Waste Management worth $482,434,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WM. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. DZ Bank initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer raised 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $253.55.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE WM opened at $245.89 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $227.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $219.84. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $246.45. The firm has a market cap of $99.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.70, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) 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 company had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The company's revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Waste Management's payout ratio is 49.25%.

Key Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (14.5% increase), payable March 27 — a direct boost to income-oriented demand and a sign of strong cash flow. WM Announces Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Major analysts have reiterated/raised targets and issued buy/overweight ratings (Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Oppenheimer, Bernstein among others), supporting upside sentiment vs. the consensus price target near $253.55. MarketBeat WM Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Value-comparison pieces (MEG vs WM) are highlighting relative valuation and growth trade-offs; useful for longer-term positioning but unlikely to swing intraday trading materially. MEG or WM: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: multiple senior executives (including Michael Watson, Tara Hemmer and SVP Johnson Varkey) sold sizable blocks in early March—creates headline risk and potential short‑term selling pressure. Investors will watch whether sales continue. Top Waste Management Executives Quietly Unload Millions
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results slightly missed consensus (EPS $1.93 vs. $1.95; revenue $6.31B vs. $6.39B), which trims near-term upside and keeps focus on margin and volume trends. MarketBeat WM Coverage

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 617 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.13, for a total transaction of $150,628.21. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,607 shares in the company, 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 hyperlink. Also, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total transaction of $1,165,136.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 78,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,084,739.94. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 85,548 shares of company stock valued at $19,984,913 over the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company 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.

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