First Trust Advisors LP Sells 253,430 Shares of Waste Management, Inc. $WM

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its stake in shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 45.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 298,653 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 253,430 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $65,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in Waste Management by 101.5% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 47.0% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Barclays reduced their price target on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.55.

More Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78), a meaningful boost vs. the prior payout that supports income investors and signals confidence in cash flow. Dividend Increases Article
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Wall Street firms have recently raised price targets and reiterated buy/outperform views (Stifel, TD Cowen, Bernstein, Oppenheimer), leaving consensus target above the current price and providing analyst-driven support. MarketBeat Analyst Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/retail momentum signals: IBD upgraded Waste Management’s Relative Strength rating and the stock is featured positively in a Motley Fool piece, which can attract momentum and retail buying. IBD Upgrade / Yahoo Motley Fool
• Neutral Sentiment: Company executives (CEO, EVP engineering) are participating in industry events (Waste Management 2026) discussing advanced waste solutions — positive for long-term positioning but not an immediate stock mover. Conference / GlobeNewswire
• Neutral Sentiment: Market recap/analyst consensus remains constructive (moderate buy, avg. target ~ $253.55) and institutional ownership is high; these are steadying factors but not immediate catalysts. MarketBeat Consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: COO John Morris disclosed large sales (7,979 shares / prior filings show additional sales), and several other senior officers reported smaller disposals — large insider exits can spook investors and weigh on intraday price. InsiderTrades Alert American Banking News
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results slightly missed consensus (EPS $1.93 vs. $1.95; revenue $6.31B vs. $6.39B), which can amplify short-term selling pressure when combined with insider sales. Earnings Recap
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary and headlines note a larger-than-market drop today, a reflection of the net effect of these negative signals outweighing positives in the near term. Zacks Drop Report

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total transaction of $1,024,873.18. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 99,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,320,720.02. This represents a 4.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 6,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. This trade represents a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 98,042 shares of company stock valued at $23,039,777 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Waste Management stock opened at $235.21 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company has a market capitalization of $94.87 billion, a PE ratio of 35.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $228.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $220.05. Waste Management, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.Waste Management’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.70 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.945 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change 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 dividend payout ratio 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.