Senior Vice President Michael J. Watson trims stake while exercising stock options amid strong market performance for Waste Management
New York, United States, 4 March 2026 – Waste Management Inc. has recently seen insider trading activity as one of its top executives sold a portion of his holdings while the company’s stock trades near its yearly peak.
Michael J. Watson, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at Waste Management, sold 17,251 shares of the company’s common stock on March 2, 2026. The transactions were carried out in two separate tranches, with share prices ranging between $241.8064 and $241.83. The total value of the sale was approximately $4.1 million.
On the same day, Watson exercised stock options to acquire 12,642 shares of Waste Management common stock. These options were executed for $126.005 per share, representing a total transaction value of about $1,592,955.
After completing these transactions, Watson continues to hold a significant position in the company. He directly owns 56,788.2959 shares of Waste Management stock. In addition, he indirectly owns 2,612.5834 shares through a 401(k) retirement plan.
The insider sale comes at a time when Waste Management’s stock is trading close to its 52-week high of $244.61. Market analysis platforms, including InvestingPro’s Fair Value analysis, suggest the stock is currently trading above its estimated fair value, drawing attention from investors tracking insider trading and stock valuation trends.
In recent company updates, Waste Management also released its fourth-quarter 2025 financial results. The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.93, slightly below analyst expectations of $1.95, resulting in a minor earnings miss. Quarterly revenue came in at $6.31 billion, also slightly below the projected $6.39 billion.
Despite the small earnings miss, the company continues to maintain strong shareholder returns. Waste Management announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.945 per share. The dividend will be paid on March 27, 2026, to shareholders recorded as of March 13, 2026.
As the company continues to operate in the growing environmental services and waste management industry, investors are closely monitoring insider transactions, stock performance, and future earnings growth.
