Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Boosts Position in Waste Management, Inc. $WM

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 569,714 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,822 shares during the period. Waste Management comprises 0.9% of Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.14% of Waste Management worth $126,978,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WM. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,022,916,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 279.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,075,906 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $236,387,000 after purchasing an additional 792,037 shares during the period. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Waste Management by 23,051.5% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 770,945 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $17,716,000 after purchasing an additional 767,615 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Waste Management by 3,209.2% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 681,366 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $150,466,000 after purchasing an additional 660,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,990,067 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,566,508,000 after buying an additional 553,605 shares during the period. 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: Stronger margins, pricing actions and cash flow are helping Waste Management offset pressure from softer collection volumes and support continued earnings growth. WM’s 2026 Outlook Tests Whether Margin Gains Can Offset Softer Volumes
• Positive Sentiment: Technology-driven efficiency initiatives, contributions from the Stericycle acquisition and dependable dividend payments provide potential long-term growth and shareholder-return support. Here’s Why Investors Must Hold WM Stock in Their Portfolios Now
• Positive Sentiment: WM’s underperformance relative to the broader market may attract investors seeking a potentially favorable entry point in a defensive, cash-generating waste-services company. Waste Management (WM) Fell Behind the Rally. Is It an Opportunity?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry trends point to ongoing equipment innovation, but the broad waste-management equipment market discussion offers limited new information specific to WM’s near-term results. Waste Management Equipment Market Future Trends and Innovations
• Negative Sentiment: Waste Management lowered its 2026 revenue outlook because of weaker volumes, increasing concern that margin gains may not fully compensate for slower underlying demand. WM’s 2026 Outlook Tests Whether Margin Gains Can Offset Softer Volumes
• Negative Sentiment: WM’s elevated valuation leaves less room for execution problems, while substantial debt and weak liquidity could constrain financial flexibility and amplify downside risk. Is WM Stock Worth Buying as Margins Rise but Valuation Stays Rich?

Waste Management Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $224.73 on Friday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1-year low of $194.11 and a 1-year high of $248.13. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $227.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $227.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on WM. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lowered Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $240.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $252.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Waste Management from $264.00 to $263.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.89.

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.