Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $235.81, but opened at $227.62. Waste Management shares last traded at $229.5760, with a volume of 372,444 shares.

The business services provider reported $2.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were issued a dividend of $0.9450 per share. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.54%.

Trending Headlines about Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 6.3% year over year to $6.846 billion, exceeding the $6.81 billion analyst consensus. Reported EPS increased to $2.15 from $1.98 a year earlier, while adjusted operating results also improved. WM Announces Third Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Waste Management provided an update on the equity buyback plan announced in December 2025. Continued repurchases can support per-share results and signal management’s confidence in the company’s valuation, although the latest update contains limited detail in the available report. Equity Buyback Plan Tranche Update
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s adjusted third-quarter results showed stronger operating performance, but investors may focus on whether the improvement is sufficient to support expectations for approximately $8.09 in full-year EPS. Waste Management Third-Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $2.15 fell short of the $2.18 consensus estimate, representing a 1.38% earnings surprise to the downside. The miss likely pressured the stock despite the revenue beat and year-over-year profit growth. Waste Management Lags Q3 Earnings Estimates

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WM. Wolfe Research started coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce cut their price objective on Waste Management from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on Waste Management from $264.00 to $263.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup raised their target price on Waste Management from $263.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Waste Management from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $256.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, CAO John Carroll sold 1,365 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.90, for a total transaction of $300,163.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,509 shares in the company, valued at $771,629.10. This trade represents a 28.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Balance Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the third quarter worth $31,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the second quarter valued at $36,000. Markowski Investments acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 93.5% in the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 180 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Management Stock Down 2.7%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $217.55 and a 200-day moving average of $224.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.50 and a beta of 0.42.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc, doing business as WM (NYSE:WM), is an environmental services company that provides waste collection, transportation, disposal, recycling and resource-recovery services. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers through a network of collection operations, transfer stations, landfills, recycling facilities and other environmental infrastructure.

WM’s services include curbside and commercial waste collection, construction and demolition debris management, recycling, organics processing and landfill disposal.