Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $270.00

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its target price boosted by TD Cowen from $265.00 to $270.00 in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on WM. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Monday, December 29th. National Bankshares lowered their price target on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $243.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $256.00 target price for the company. Finally, CIBC decreased their price target on Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.55.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE:WM opened at $222.17 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Waste Management has a 1 year low of $194.11 and a 1 year high of $242.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $219.25 and a 200-day moving average of $219.17.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 7.7 EPS 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,373,112.40. This trade represents a 8.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Sigma Planning Corp grew its stake in Waste Management by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 41,587 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $9,203,000 after acquiring an additional 1,356 shares during the period. Belleair Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at about $525,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $116,000. Wagner Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth approximately $226,000. Finally, W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co lifted its stake in Waste Management by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co now owns 2,869 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Waste Management

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.

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.