OLD Second National Bank of Aurora Boosts Stock Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

OLD Second National Bank of Aurora grew its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 2.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $577,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westend Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 126.9% in the 1st quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. West Branch Capital LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 69.0% during the first quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 120 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Waste Management during the first quarter worth about $37,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management during the 1st quarter worth approximately $45,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays started coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Friday, September 19th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $272.00 price target on the stock. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Monday, June 9th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $256.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $245.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.17.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $216.77 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12-month low of $199.69 and a 12-month high of $242.58. The company has a market capitalization of $87.32 billion, a PE ratio of 32.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $224.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $228.30.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $6.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.37 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 34.37% and a net margin of 11.36%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. Waste Management has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th were paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 12th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.96%.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.