Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC Lowers Stock Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC lessened its position in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 470,881 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,796 shares during the quarter. Waste Management makes up 2.6% of Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $103,985,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,064,206,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in Waste Management by 444.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,206,026 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $487,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800,728 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 15,782.4% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,728,486 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $395,512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,717,603 shares during the period. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 55.5% in the second quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 2,897,636 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $663,037,000 after purchasing an additional 1,034,258 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 982.3% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 886,164 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $195,692,000 after purchasing an additional 804,285 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: Analyst/credit view — Coverage pieces argue WM has the cash flow and operating stability to handle its leverage, which reduces medium-term risk from its elevated debt-to-equity ratio. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/order-flow boost — A Power Inflow trading signal at $222.60 triggered buying interest and pushed WM to an intraday high, a short-term bullish indicator that may attract momentum traders. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sell-side positioning — Barclays trimmed its price target slightly (reported reductions around $266?$265) but kept an Overweight stance, suggesting belief in upside remains among some analysts. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst notes roundup — Recent analyst commentaries and sector reports reiterate WM’s steady, defensive profile; useful for context but not immediately market-moving by themselves. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/quarterly benchmarking — Sector recaps (e.g., Montrose) provide comparative context for WM’s Q3 trends but contained no major surprises that would force an immediate re-rating. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Price-target trims — Scotiabank reaffirmed a “sector perform” stance but lowered its price target (reported ~$254?$250), signaling reduced near-term upside in analyst estimates. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings caution — Zacks flagged that WM lacks the setup for an earnings beat in the upcoming report, which could mute momentum if results or guidance disappoint. Read More.

Waste Management Trading Up 2.3%

WM opened at $226.33 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $216.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $219.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.18 billion, a PE ratio of 35.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.59. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 10.35%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 51.97%.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.06, for a total transaction of $299,542.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,373,112.40. This trade represents a 8.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Waste Management from $234.00 to $223.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. CIBC lowered their target price on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $250.23.

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.