Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $264.00

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its target price upped by Oppenheimer from $263.00 to $264.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Oppenheimer currently has an outperform rating on the business services provider’s stock.

WM has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group raised Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Waste Management from $234.00 to $223.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, National Bankshares lowered their target price on Waste Management from $250.00 to $243.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

Waste Management Trading Down 0.4%

Waste Management stock opened at $222.17 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $89.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.16, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.58. Waste Management has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $242.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $219.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $219.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The company had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.70 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is 49.25%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.06, for a total transaction of $299,542.80. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 101.5% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Waste Management during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the second quarter worth about $40,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple broker upgrades/price-target raises signal analyst confidence and create upside expectations — notable lifts include TD Cowen raising its target to $270 (Buy), Oppenheimer to $264 (Outperform), Wells Fargo to $250 (Overweight), Stifel to $252 (Buy) and RBC to $235 (Sector Perform). These raises help underpin demand and longer-term upside.
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat piece argues WM is in a trend-following rally, supported by widening margins, accelerating free cash flow and a resumed buyback plan — factors that can sustain share-price appreciation. Waste Management’s “Boring” Business Is Powering a Quiet Rally
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and buyback tailwinds: WM raised its dividend and signaled intent to resume repurchases (guidance assumes ~$2B in buybacks), improving shareholder-return prospects and offsetting share-based dilution over time. (Referenced in MarketBeat coverage.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry report notes long-term demand in specialized waste markets (solid control drilling waste mgmt. forecast to 2035) — a potential structural tailwind but only indirectly tied to WM’s near-term earnings. Solid Control Drilling Waste Management Market Size
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings call transcript is available for investors wanting detail on segment performance and management commentary; useful for parsing how sustainable margin and cash-flow commentary is. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed expectations on both EPS ($1.93 vs. ~$1.95 est.) and revenue (came up short of estimates). The miss pressured the stock as it undercut near-term growth/beat expectations that had supported the rally. Waste Management Stock Falls After Disappointing Q4 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance was slightly below Street expectations (revenue/growth assumptions modest), leaving room for disappointment if execution slips — this is the primary catalyst for short-term downside risk.

Waste Management Company 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.