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

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price target raised by equities research analysts at Barclays from $266.00 to $270.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 16.43% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. 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 report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.19.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE WM traded up $1.59 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $231.90. The stock had a trading volume of 1,103,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,182,298. The firm has a market cap of $93.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.54. Waste Management has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $222.60.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.29 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 8.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 30,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.36, for a total value of $7,000,640.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 225,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,013,675.48. The trade was a 11.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total value of $1,724,044.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at $3,644,130. The trade was a 32.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WM. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Waste Management by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 158,371 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,396,000 after buying an additional 3,521 shares during the period. First Interstate Bank acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management in the first quarter valued at approximately $325,000. Seelaus Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Management in the first quarter valued at approximately $276,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 22.9% during the first quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 520 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 2.3% during the first quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 6,426 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,477,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and margin/EBITDA improvements — WM reported $1.81 EPS vs. ~$1.74 consensus; operating EBITDA and margins expanded thanks to pricing, cost cuts and sustainability initiatives, which supports earnings durability. WM Announces First Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Industry write-ups highlight margin momentum — coverage (Waste360) notes WM grew margins in Q1 as pricing and sustainability investments offset volume pressure, reinforcing the stock’s earnings quality narrative. WM Grows Margins in Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/long-form bullish takes — a Seeking Alpha piece frames WM as a “money printing compounder,” which can bolster investor confidence and longer-term multiple support. Waste Management Is A Money Printing Compounder
• Positive Sentiment: Recycling and sustainability cited as contributors to earnings growth — company commentary and press coverage point to recycling initiatives helping margins, a positive signal for structural profitability. WM cites recycling as a factor in earnings growth
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 revenue guidance largely in line with Street — company updated FY revenue outlook to about $26.4–$26.6B versus a consensus near $26.5B, suggesting guidance is not a surprise to the market.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and transcripts available — the Q1 call transcript and several summaries are live for investors wanting detail on volume trends, pricing cadence and margin drivers. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and volume softness — revenue missed estimates ($6.23B vs. ~$6.29B est.) and collection volumes declined, which raises questions about top‑line growth sustainability if volume trends persist. WM Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target tweak — Wells Fargo trimmed its price target from $273 to $268 while keeping an Overweight rating; a modest cut that could temper upside expectations despite the bullish rating. Wells Fargo Price Target Change

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.