Groupe la Francaise Reduces Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Groupe la Francaise cut its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 35.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,499 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 29,296 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise's holdings in Waste Management were worth $11,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CCM Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management during the first quarter worth approximately $6,822,000. SHUTTLEWORTH & Co boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 0.7% in the first quarter. SHUTTLEWORTH & Co now owns 10,268 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,359,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. January Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter worth approximately $1,363,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC now owns 5,135 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,180,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 13,908 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,196,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $264.00 to $263.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price 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. TD Cowen raised their price target on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Waste Management from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Waste Management from $252.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $258.33.

Waste Management Trading Down 4.5%

Shares of WM opened at $226.05 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $194.11 and a twelve month high of $248.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.02, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.44. The firm's 50-day moving average is $225.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $227.60.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.71 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.68% and a net margin of 11.11%.Waste Management's revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.92 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is presently 54.70%.

Waste Management News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: WM reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.02 per share, exceeding the $1.98 consensus estimate. Pricing, productivity initiatives and cost controls helped strengthen margins, while revenue increased 4% year over year to $6.68 billion. WM Earnings Beat on Pricing in Q2, Revenues Miss Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted continued margin gains, technology investments and progress integrating healthcare-related operations, while maintaining its profitability outlook. These improvements could support cash flow and earnings growth. WM Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Margin Gains, Volume and Cash Flow
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their price targets following the results: Stifel Nicolaus increased its target to $261 and kept a Buy rating, Barclays lifted its target to $277 with an Overweight rating, and RBC raised its target to $244 while maintaining Sector Perform. Stifel Nicolaus Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Waste Management
• Neutral Sentiment: The quarterly revenue result was broadly in line with expectations, but the company’s midpoint full-year revenue outlook of $26.38 billion was approximately 0.6% below analyst estimates. Full-year EPS expectations remain near $8.15-$8.16. Waste Management Posts Q2 Sales In Line With Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Softer waste volumes limited revenue growth and offset some of the benefit from pricing and efficiency gains. The combination of weaker volume trends and guidance below expectations appears to be the primary reason investors reacted negatively despite the earnings beat. WM Q2 Deep Dive: Improving Margins and Integration Progress Offset Softer Volume Trends
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank made a marginal reduction to its 2026 EPS forecast, lowering it from $8.16 to $8.15, reinforcing concerns that near-term growth could remain modest.

About Waste Management

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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