The Q1 2020 earnings season is going on: some corporations have provided updates regarding their profit distribution policies in their earnings reports and conference calls.

a.Examine Waste Management's (WM) distribution practice in the past several years to discuss what considerations may make the firm follow the specific pattern of distribution.

b.If Waste Management (WM) is actively engaged in share buybacks, compared to cash dividends, analyze how the repurchases have or have not changed their sales per share and EPS and their valuations i.e. stock prices and P/E ratios etc.