PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab Takes Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• PFA Pension acquired a new stake of 467,786 shares in Waste Management (WM) in Q4, worth about $103.9 million and representing roughly 0.12% of the company.
• Waste Management beat Q1 EPS estimates ($1.81 vs. $1.75) while narrowly missing revenue, reported revenue up 3.5% YoY, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78, ~1.7% yield).
• About 80.4% of WM is owned by institutional investors, insiders sold 92,616 shares (~$21.85M) in the past three months, and analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $255.67 average target amid mixed price‑target changes.

PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 467,786 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $103,905,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab owned approximately 0.12% of Waste Management at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,990,067 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,566,508,000 after buying an additional 553,605 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 5.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,668,221 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,250,613,000 after buying an additional 277,250 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake 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 valued at $873,276,000 after buying an additional 11,688 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Waste Management by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,530,900 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $781,494,000 after purchasing an additional 236,439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP grew its stake in Waste Management by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 3,262,148 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $720,380,000 after purchasing an additional 364,512 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total transaction of $29,677.67. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,293 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,279,294.11. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total value of $1,165,136.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 78,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,084,739.94. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 92,616 shares of company stock worth $21,849,115 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $228.81 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $92.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The business has a 50-day moving average of $232.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.67. 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 quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.Waste Management's revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. This is a positive change from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on WM shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Wolfe Research started coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $250.00 target price (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $255.67.

Key Waste Management News

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

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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