CX Institutional Buys 25,448 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• CX Institutional boosted its stake in Waste Management by 156.7% in Q4, adding 25,448 shares to hold 41,692 shares valued at about $9.16 million.
• Multiple analysts have raised ratings and targets (TD Cowen $275, Barclays $270, JPMorgan $270, UBS $260), leaving a consensus price target of $255.67 and an overall "Moderate Buy" consensus.
• Waste Management beat Q1 EPS estimates ($1.81 vs. $1.75) while slightly missing revenue, and increased its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78, ~1.7% yield).

CX Institutional increased its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 156.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,692 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 25,448 shares during the quarter. CX Institutional's holdings in Waste Management were worth $9,160,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 101.5% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Waste Management during the third quarter worth $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst boosts from high-conviction firms — TD Cowen raised its price target to $275 and keeps a buy rating, and Barclays lifted its target to $270 with an overweight rating. Those upgrades signal analyst confidence and imply double‑digit upside from current levels. TD Cowen raise Barclays raise
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights WM as a strong growth stock based on style scores and fundamentals — a positive signal for growth-oriented investors and fund flows. Zacks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Modest price target increase from RBC to $240 with a "sector perform" rating — supportive but conservative, reflecting limited near-term conviction (small upside). RBC note
• Neutral Sentiment: Market research on multi-layer film recycling forecasts strong long‑term growth (9.2% CAGR to 2035), which supports waste/recycling industry tailwinds but is unlikely to move WM stock immediately. Market report
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga summary: analysts revised forecasts after WM’s Q1 (EPS beat, revenue miss). The mixed nature of results leaves room for differing analyst actions and contributes to intra-day volatility. Analyst revisions
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target from $273 to $268 (still overweight) — a downward tweak that reduces near-term upside expectations. Wells Fargo trim
• Negative Sentiment: Peer strength: Waste Connections (WCN) reported beat-and-raise style results and noted liquidity considerations, highlighting competitive momentum in the sector that could put pressure on WM’s market-share narrative. Investors may reallocate toward peers showing stronger near-term top-line momentum. WCN article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on WM. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $250.00 price target (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. UBS Group upgraded shares of Waste Management from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Waste Management from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $255.67.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $228.81 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $194.11 and a 52 week high of $248.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company's fifty day moving average is $232.31 and its 200-day moving average is $222.71. The company has a market capitalization of $92.19 billion, a PE ratio of 33.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.49.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 54.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total value of $1,024,873.18. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 99,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,320,720.02. The trade was a 4.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total transaction of $4,171,464.31. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 44,146 shares in the company, valued at $10,674,944.26. This represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 92,616 shares of company stock worth $21,849,115 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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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