Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Reaches New 52-Week High Following Dividend Announcement

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $243.22 and last traded at $242.8660, with a volume of 289783 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $240.84.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.945 dividend. This is a boost from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $238.00 to $242.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $225.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.55.

Waste Management Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.57. The company’s 50 day moving average is $226.50 and its 200-day moving average is $219.49.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $6.31 billion for 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 prior year, the company posted $1.70 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: WM declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.945 per share payable March 27 (record date March 13). The cash return and the predictable dividend schedule support income-focused demand and reinforce the company’s cash generation narrative. WM Announces Cash Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/peer news: a third‑party hazardous waste vendor celebrated an anniversary — a sector-level item with limited direct impact on WM’s fundamentals or near-term stock movement. All Clean Hazardous Waste Removal Celebrates Over 12 Years
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares on March 2 — including VP Michael J. Watson (17,251 shares at ~$241.81, a ~28.1% cut to his stake) and SVP Tara J. Hemmer (4,818 shares at ~$241.83). Smaller sales were filed by senior executives including the CFO. Large officer sales can create short-term selling pressure or signal portfolio rebalancing; investors will watch whether sales continue. Insider Sale SEC Filing (Michael J. Watson)

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total transaction of $4,171,464.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 44,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. This represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 84,931 shares of company stock valued at $19,834,285 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Bey Douglas LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Bey Douglas LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,922 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $422,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,341,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,398 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.