US Bancorp DE Trims Holdings in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Key Points

• US Bancorp DE trimmed its stake in Waste Management by 3.4%, selling 7,073 shares and leaving a position of 200,345 shares valued at about $44.02 million at quarter-end.
• Q1 results and dividend hike: Waste Management reported EPS of $1.81 (beat by $0.06) while revenue of $6.23 billion slightly missed estimates, margins improved, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78, ~1.6% yield).
• Ownership and analyst backdrop: Institutional investors hold roughly 80.4% of the stock, insiders sold about 92,616 shares (~$21.8M) over the past three months, and the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $255.67.

US Bancorp DE trimmed its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 200,345 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 7,073 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE's holdings in Waste Management were worth $44,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 101.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.3%

WM opened at $233.19 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $232.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $222.67. The company has a market cap of $93.95 billion, a PE ratio of 33.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.54. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year 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.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The company's revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.945 per share. This is a boost 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 1.6%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total value of $29,677.67. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,293 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,279,294.11. This trade represents a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total transaction of $1,024,873.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 99,929 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,320,720.02. This trade represents a 4.04% 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 valued at $21,849,115 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings: EPS beat expectations and margins/EBITDA improved as pricing, cost actions and sustainability investments offset volume headwinds — supports upside to profit outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: TD Cowen raised its price target to $275 and maintained a buy rating, signaling strong upside potential and likely contributing to buying interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: Barclays raised its target to $270 and kept an overweight rating, adding institutional support for the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Margin / sustainability coverage: Industry reporting highlights WM’s margin expansion and credits recycling and sustainability investments for helping offset lower collection volumes. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC raised its price target modestly to $240 but kept a “sector perform” rating — a small endorsement but not a strong buy signal. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 guidance: Company updated its fiscal-year guidance with revenue in a $26.4–$26.6B range (roughly in line with consensus), offering limited surprise to estimates.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry trend: A market report projects growth in multi-layer film recycling through 2035, a potential long-term tailwind for recycling-related services but not an immediate earnings driver. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Softer volumes and revenue miss: Revenues were slightly below estimates and collection volumes fell, which caps near-term top-line growth and prompted some cautious commentary. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target from $273 to $268 (remains overweight) — a modest pullback in analyst enthusiasm that could temper upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary: Recent pieces (e.g., Seeking Alpha) frame WM as a durable cash-generator and compounding business, which can support multiple expansion and long-term investor interest. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on WM. UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $255.67.

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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