Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Lowers Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• Gamco Investors reduced its Waste Management stake by 5.4% in the first quarter, selling 7,183 shares and ending the period with 126,645 shares valued at about $29.1 million.
• Waste Management posted solid quarterly results, with earnings per share of $1.81 beating analyst estimates, while revenue rose 3.5% year over year to $6.23 billion.
• The company continues to look stable to Wall Street, with a quarterly dividend of $0.945 per share and analyst sentiment remaining positive overall, including a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lowered its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 5.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 126,645 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 7,183 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL's holdings in Waste Management were worth $29,102,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth about $10,206,000. Capital Advisors Inc. OK lifted its position in Waste Management by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 196,585 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $43,192,000 after buying an additional 3,880 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its stake in Waste Management by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 236,153 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $51,885,000 after buying an additional 36,900 shares during the period. LBP AM SA grew its stake in Waste Management by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 46,640 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $10,247,000 after buying an additional 9,071 shares during the period. Finally, Cohen Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth $3,252,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $238.86 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $224.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $227.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market cap of $95.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.57, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.44. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $194.11 and a 1-year high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WM shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Waste Management from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $256.74.

Key Stories Impacting Waste Management

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 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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