Important Points
- Waste Management insiders sold about $25 million in stock after shares hit a high in early 2026, but institutional accumulation and growing profits keep the long-term outlook improving.
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals is experiencing strong sales both internally and externally, although analysts see a roughly 25% increase driven by Olezarsen’s trade route.
- Both stocks have retreated from recent highs, potentially creating entry points for investors willing to look for short-term selling pressure.
Insider trading is a good thing when insiders take advantage of a stock with a bullish outlook. In this case, one stock is a solid, profitable growth engine, and the other is a commercial biopharma division with a double-digit outlook, headed for significant growth. In both cases, these stocks are retreating from the beginning of 2026, driven by insider sales, opening up entry points for new investors.
Waste Management Does Not Waste Time: Growth and Profits to 2026
Waste Management (NYSE: WM ) stock rose 25% from its 2025 low to set a new all-time high in early 2026. The rise prompted insiders, including the CEO, CFO, CAO, and COO, as well as a series of VPs, to sell stock. The activity helped boost earnings in Q1, but otherwise has nothing to do with the stock price outlook. Insiders own only 0.18% of the stock, net sales of less than $25 million, and other forces driving stock prices are cheap in this term.
The institution’s work shows accumulation in the next 12 months (TTM), activity increased in 2025 and steady pace in 2026, and a high ownership rate of 80%. Equally noteworthy is that the group has been collecting for three years without distribution centers, and earnings and returns suggest this trend will continue.
Analysts are also bullish, with high confidence, as 25 estimates are currently being tracked through 2026. The data shows that this group provides support, price reductions, and investment incentives, including increases on a TTM basis.
Sentiment is also strong with a moderate to Strong Buy rating, and the price trend is up. Consensus forecasts predict only 10% from the end of March, but analyst trends point to the high end, and the consensus will be enough for a high that will never come.
Profitability is among the reasons to own this stock. The company pays a market-beating yield of 1.65% through early 2026, the payout ratio is stable at around 56% of earnings, and the distribution increases annually. As it stands, the company is on track to be included in the Dividend Aristocrats Index by the end of the decade. Indexing is important because it will increase buy-and-hold ownership, reduce volatility, and support stock price appreciation.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals: A Cautious Outlook for a Blockbuster Drug
Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IONS ) is an RNA-focused biopharma with multiple assets. products on the market and two really important ones. The first is Spinraza, which is marketed jointly, its blockbuster quality sales are declining. Another completely proprietary treatment called Olezarsen, is expected to see the highest sales at $2 billion. Analyst polls rate the $2 billion forecast as conservative, and price targets are rising as a result.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ insider sales are similar to Waste Management’s, with most insiders selling in Q1 2026. The difference is that Ionis insiders also sold more in 2025, and the transaction is tied to institutional investors. Institutions own more than 90% of the stock, and their sales are a significant upheaval in 2026. The data shows that they are selling on a TTM basis, three-quarters in 2025 and maintaining an accelerated rate in Q1 2026 as they take profits from this stock.
Analysts are offset. Ininstitutions have benefited because the stock is up more than 100% from its lows in 2025, it provides enough incentive. Analyst data, on the other hand, shows an average buy rating consensus from 21 analysts, which includes rising, firm sentiment, and rising target price. It predicts a 25% increase by the end of the year, while the high end of analyst targets adds more than 10% beyond that.
Watching Ionis grow is the reason to own this stock. The company is expected to continue growing at a 20% pace over the next decade, turn a profit by 2028, and grow it every year thereafter. The long-term view suggests a 7X multiple for the 2035 forecast, which paves the way for greater upside for this stock. At 7X 2035 earnings, this stock could more than double in the coming years and still be cheap. If we assume that Olezarsen’s predictions are really cautious and the pipeline bears fruit, this observation underestimates the potential. Ionis has a number of candidates in the pipeline near mid-term.
Companies in this article:
| Company | Current Price | Price Changes | Dividend Yield | The P/E ratio | Consensus ratio | Consensus Price Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) | $70.79 | -0.3% | N/A | -29.01 | Buy Medium | $89.00 |
| Waste Management (WM) | $227.60 | -1.6% | 1.66% | 33.97 | Buy Medium | $254.59 |
Experience
Thomas Hughes has been a contributing writer for InsiderTrades.com since 2019.
- Professional Background: Thomas Hughes is the Managing Partner of Passive Market Intelligence LLC, a market research platform he founded in 2023 with the motto: “We watch the market so you don’t.” He has worked as a blogger, stock market analyst, and independent analyst since 2010 and has been involved in trading and investing since 2005.
- Confirmation: He has an Associate of Arts in Culinary Technology-training that has enhanced his discipline, attention to detail, and ability to anticipate results, all of which continue in his work as a market analyst.
- Financial Experience: Thomas has been writing about finance and investing since 2011, when he discovered it could be more than a personal passion—it could be a career. He has been a contributing writer for InsiderTrades.com since 2019.
- Writing Focus: He specializes in the S&P 500, small-cap stocks, high-yield diversification strategies, consumer staples, retail, technology, oil, and equities. His analysis combines chart-based technical setups with key fundamentals, helping readers identify potential trends.
- How to Invest: Thomas takes a hybrid approach that combines technical analysis with in-depth fundamental research. He often writes about macroeconomic shifts, wage trends, and sentiment-based trading signals.
- Motivation: Thomas became interested in stocks after attending a seminar on buying and selling your own stocks. That experience opened his eyes to the power of the market and sparked a lifelong interest in investing.
- Fun fact: Thomas picked up a model railroad by accident a few years ago—and now he can’t stop using the railroad.
- Areas of Expertise: Technical and fundamental analysis, S&P 500, retail and consumer sectors, equities, market trends
Education
Associate of Arts in Culinary Technology
