Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $251.1905.

WM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays lowered their target price on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $260.00 price objective on Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, October 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.06, for a total value of $299,542.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,373,112.40. This represents a 8.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WM. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the second quarter worth $1,064,206,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Waste Management by 444.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,206,026 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $487,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800,728 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 15,782.4% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,728,486 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $395,512,000 after purchasing an additional 1,717,603 shares during the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP increased its stake in Waste Management by 55.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 2,897,636 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $663,037,000 after purchasing an additional 1,034,258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 218.3% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,369,805 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $302,494,000 after buying an additional 939,455 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE WM opened at $231.40 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.84. Waste Management has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $242.58. The stock has a market cap of $93.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $219.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $219.29.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. Waste Management’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Waste Management will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.97%.

Waste Management News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Solid operating and cash‑flow trends: revenue rose ~7% YoY and WM posted double‑digit increases in gross and operating profit and higher cash from operations, supporting the long‑term growth story. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst appetite and upside to consensus: multiple recent buy/overweight ratings and a median price target around $255 suggest buy‑side support into any post‑earnings weakness. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder actions and insider activity bolster confidence: recent dividend and buyback increases have helped sentiment, and there was at least one insider purchase noted. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 revenue guidance roughly in line with expectations: company set revenue guidance at about $26.4–$26.6B but did not provide a clear EPS target in the release, leaving some forecasting work for analysts. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Weather disruption is a short‑term operational headwind but also a stress test of network resilience — may affect near‑term volumes and collections timing rather than long‑term demand. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings and revenue missed consensus: Q4 EPS of $1.93 missed the Zacks/consensus of ~$1.95 and revenue of ~$6.31B fell short of estimates, which pressured the shares after the print. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Some balance‑sheet / cash items drew attention: reported cash & equivalents declined materially year‑over‑year and different data feeds showed varying EPS comparisons, adding uncertainty to near‑term sentiment and prompting some selling. Read More.

About Waste Management

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.