Waste Management, Inc. $WM Position Lessened by Geo Capital Gestora de Recursos Ltd

Key Points

• Geo Capital cut its WM stake by 97.9%, selling 7,561 shares in Q3 and finishing the quarter with just 159 shares worth about $35,000.
• Heavy insider selling: executives and officers disposed of 85,548 shares (≈$19.98M) in the last quarter, leaving insiders with only 0.18% ownership and potentially weighing on sentiment.
• Dividend increase and analyst backdrop: WM raised its quarterly dividend 14.5% to $0.945 (payable March 27), while analysts carry a "Moderate Buy" consensus with a ~$253.55 target and institutions own roughly 80.4% of shares.

Geo Capital Gestora de Recursos Ltd lowered its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 97.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 159 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 7,561 shares during the quarter. Geo Capital Gestora de Recursos Ltd's holdings in Waste Management were worth $35,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WM. RBO & Co. LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Management by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. RBO & Co. LLC now owns 57,785 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $12,761,000 after buying an additional 2,054 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 2.0% in the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 62,802 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $13,869,000 after acquiring an additional 1,217 shares during the last quarter. USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management in the third quarter worth approximately $200,000. Miramar Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Miramar Capital LLC now owns 58,055 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $12,820,000 after purchasing an additional 8,174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,166 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,349,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: WM raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (14.5% increase), payable March 27 (record March 13), signaling strong cash generation and supporting income-focused buying. WM Announces Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional positions remain a tailwind: recent filings show sizable stakes and new buys by major investors (e.g., Norges Bank noted in coverage), which can support the share price and long-term confidence. MarketBeat WM Overview
• Neutral Sentiment: Several valuation comparison pieces (MEG vs. WM) have appeared — useful context for value investors but not company-specific catalysts; these analyses may influence longer-term investor preference rather than immediate trading. MEG or WM: Which Is the Better Value Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry noise: a third‑party hazardous‑waste vendor’s anniversary was reported — sector color but limited direct impact on WM fundamentals. All Clean Hazardous Waste Removal Celebrates Over 12 Years
• Negative Sentiment: Material insider selling over March 2–3: VP Michael J. Watson sold ~17,251 shares (~$4.17M), SVP Tara Hemmer sold 4,818 shares (~$1.17M), and other officers filed smaller sales. Large officer disposals can create short‑term supply and raise questions about timing of sales. Insider Sale SEC Filing (Michael J. Watson)
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage highlighting multiple executives “unloading” their holdings has been circulated by financial press, which can amplify negative sentiment even if sales are routine or for diversification. Top WM Executives Quietly Unload Millions

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on WM shares. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $253.55.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $2,847,055.12. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,406,483.52. This trade represents a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total value of $1,724,044.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,644,130. This trade represents a 32.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 85,548 shares of company stock valued at $19,984,913 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $243.97 on Thursday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $244.88. The company has a market cap of $98.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.57. The business's 50 day moving average is $226.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The company's revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.70 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.945 per share. This is an increase from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.25%.

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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