Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Bought by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Waste Management by 119% in Q4, buying an additional 39,268 shares to hold 72,269 shares worth $15.881 million.
• Waste Management's Q1 results showed an EPS beat ($1.81 vs. $1.75) but a slight revenue miss ($6.23B vs. $6.28B), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 ($3.78 annual, ~1.7% yield).
• Analysts have been lifting targets (up to $275); MarketBeat's consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $255.67 target price.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 119.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 72,269 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 39,268 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Waste Management were worth $15,881,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,092,000. Guerra Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Waste Management by 59.5% in the 3rd quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc now owns 9,037 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 3,371 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OK boosted its stake in Waste Management by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 196,585 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $43,192,000 after purchasing an additional 3,880 shares during the period. Compass Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 537.0% in the 3rd quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,721 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $21,138,000 after purchasing an additional 80,695 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Waste Management by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 69,287 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $15,301,000 after purchasing an additional 11,135 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $255.67.

Key Headlines Impacting Waste Management

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

Waste Management Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $228.81 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $232.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.49. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.945 per share. This is an increase 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 dividend yield of 1.7%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $2,847,055.12. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. This trade represents a 66.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total transaction of $1,724,044.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at $3,644,130. This represents a 32.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 92,616 shares of company stock worth $21,849,115 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.