Waste Management, Inc. $WM Shares Sold by Impax Asset Management Group plc

Key Points

• Impax Asset Management cut its stake in Waste Management by 9.7%, selling 107,998 shares to hold 1,009,080 shares valued at about $221.7M (≈0.25% of WM), making WM its 19th largest holding.
• Waste Management reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing estimates by $0.02, with revenue of $6.31B (below consensus $6.39B) but up 7.1% year‑over‑year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78, yield 1.6%, payout ratio 56.4%), while insiders sold about 98,042 shares worth roughly $23.0M over the past 90 days.

Impax Asset Management Group plc reduced its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) by 9.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,009,080 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 107,998 shares during the period. Waste Management makes up about 1.4% of Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Impax Asset Management Group plc owned about 0.25% of Waste Management worth $221,705,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WM. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 101.5% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE WM opened at $229.64 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13. The business's 50-day moving average price is $232.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $222.37. The firm has a market cap of $92.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.54.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. Waste Management's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.70 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. 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 yield of 1.6%. Waste Management's payout ratio is 56.42%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,279,294.11. This trade represents a 1.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 6,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on WM. Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Waste Management in a report on Friday, March 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $255.19.

Waste Management Company 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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