VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Acquires 17,600 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 25.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,521 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,600 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $17,643,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Partners Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the third quarter worth approximately $416,000. Everett Harris & Co. CA raised its stake in Waste Management by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 3,951 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $806,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. raised its stake in Waste Management by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 34,629 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,061,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares during the last quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,335 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Childress Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at $216,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Waste Management maintained its 2026 outlook and guided revenue and free cash flow toward the high ends of its ranges, reassuring investors that growth remains on track. Waste Management Could Be 9% Undervalued After High End Guidance Reaffirmed
• Positive Sentiment: The healthcare business was a major growth driver, with operating EBITDA reportedly rising 33% year over year. Nine-month free cash flow also increased more than 42%, supporting capital returns and the company’s buyback program. WM Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Healthcare Gains and Volume Pressure
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their targets, including JPMorgan to $260 and Barclays to $283, while retaining overweight ratings. These revisions imply additional upside and reflect confidence in WM’s defensive cash flows and outlook. JPMorgan Waste Management Ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming CEO transition is attracting investor attention. Continuity in strategy and execution could support the stock, but leadership changes introduce uncertainty until further details are provided. Waste Management Earnings Call Signals Resilient Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Slowing waste volumes and higher fuel costs are pressuring margins. Earlier reports that WM shares gapped lower and broke below the 200-day moving average reflected the market’s initial disappointment with earnings and operational trends. WM Q3 Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Income investors face a longer-term risk: although WM has raised its dividend annually since 2009, persistent volume weakness could constrain future increases. The stock also trades at a relatively premium earnings multiple. Can Waste Management Keep Raising Its Dividend for Decades?

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In related news, CAO John Carroll sold 1,365 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.90, for a total transaction of $300,163.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $771,629.10. This trade represents a 28.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of WM stock opened at $233.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21. Waste Management, Inc. has a twelve month low of $194.11 and a twelve month high of $248.13. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $217.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $225.13. The stock has a market cap of $92.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.62, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.42.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.18 by ($0.03). Waste Management had a net margin of 11.78% and a return on equity of 31.97%. The firm had revenue of $6.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.98 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a $0.9450 dividend. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WM. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Thursday. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce dropped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial set a $251.00 price objective on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $252.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.89.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc, doing business as WM (NYSE:WM), is an environmental services company that provides waste collection, transportation, disposal, recycling and resource-recovery services. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers through a network of collection operations, transfer stations, landfills, recycling facilities and other environmental infrastructure.

WM’s services include curbside and commercial waste collection, construction and demolition debris management, recycling, organics processing and landfill disposal.