Empowered Funds LLC Raises Stake in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 20.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,790 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,220 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $7,075,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. RHL Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 55.3% during the 4th quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WM shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $240.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.33.

Key Headlines Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets. Barclays increased its target from $270 to $277 and maintained an Overweight rating, while Stifel Nicolaus raised its target from $252 to $261 and reiterated Buy. These targets imply substantial upside and reinforce the bullish case for WM. Barclays and Stifel analyst actions
• Positive Sentiment: RBC also lifted its price target from $240 to $244, citing a more favorable valuation outlook, although it retained a Sector Perform rating. RBC raises Waste Management price target
• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter profitability was better than expected. WM reported adjusted earnings of $2.02 per share, above the $1.98 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 4% year over year to $6.68 billion. Management highlighted margin expansion, technology investments and progress integrating its healthcare-services operations. WM Q2 earnings call highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank maintained its Hold rating. The decision suggests analysts see balanced upside and downside risks following the earnings report. Scotiabank maintains Hold rating
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue expectations and operating volumes remain concerns. WM’s full-year revenue outlook of approximately $26.38 billion was slightly below analysts’ expectations, and softer collection volumes could offset margin gains and integration benefits. WM Q2 business review
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group issued a bearish FY2026 earnings forecast, adding a cautious counterpoint to the more optimistic target increases from other firms. Erste Group bearish forecast

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $226.89 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $90.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $225.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $227.60. Waste Management, Inc. has a 52 week low of $194.11 and a 52 week high of $248.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.04. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.68% and a net margin of 11.11%.The firm had revenue of $6.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 8.14 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.54%.

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.