Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $252.00

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price target lifted by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $236.00 to $252.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price suggests a potential upside of 14.96% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $234.00 to $223.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $238.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $251.95.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of WM traded down $3.93 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $219.20. The company had a trading volume of 254,073 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,125,104. Waste Management has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $242.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $219.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $219.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.59. 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 (NYSE:WM) last issued its earnings results 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). Waste Management had a return on equity of 33.22% and a net margin of 10.74%.The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.39 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.70 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of Waste Management 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,373,112.40. The trade was a 8.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WM. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

More Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reiterated a Buy and raised the focus on WM’s strong core operations, growing free cash flow and potential upside from the healthcare segment turnaround — a bullish analyst signal that supports upside vs. current levels. Buy Rating on Waste Management
• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a 14% dividend increase and signaled intent to resume buybacks (guidance assumes ~$2B in buybacks), which supports shareholder returns and offsets near‑term disappointment. WM Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary framing WM as a steady, cash-generative business that could keep rallying over time; argues the Q4 miss is not a change to the long‑term thesis (dividends, margin expansion, buybacks). Waste Management’s “Boring” Business Is Powering a Quiet Rally
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings call transcript is available for investors wanting detail on drivers (pricing, volumes, cost trends, healthcare segment commentary). Useful for modeling near‑term recovery vs. guidance. Waste Management, Inc. (WM) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed consensus: EPS and revenue were slightly below Street expectations (reported ~$1.93 EPS vs. ~1.95 consensus; revenue ~$6.31B vs. ~$6.39B). The miss prompted the immediate negative market reaction as it cut into near‑term expectations. WM Earnings and Revenues Lag Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction coverage: several outlets report the stock fell after Q4 results and details showing EPS/revenue misses and the company’s guidance left some investors unimpressed. These headlines amplify selling pressure in the short term. Waste Management Stock Falls After Disappointing Q4 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Third‑party fiscal summaries flagged larger-than-expected EPS shortfalls in some feeds (Quiver/aggregate data), noting weaker-than-expected cash & balance sheet line details that can drive closer scrutiny by investors. Waste Management Inc. (WM) stock falls on Q4 2025 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry research notes long‑term market growth in drilling waste management — a sector snapshot that’s unlikely to move WM’s stock near term but adds context for investors focused on end‑market trends. Solid Control Drilling Waste Management Market Size to Hit $3.23 Billion by 2035
• Negative Sentiment: Operational headwinds (short‑term): winter storms disrupted service in some regions, highlighting near‑term execution risk and potential incremental costs. Winter Storm Disrupts WM Service And Tests Long Term Investment Story

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.