Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Stock Price

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price target increased by Barclays from $266.00 to $270.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on WM. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.67.

Waste Management Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $233.19 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $232.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Waste Management has a 1-year low of $194.11 and a 1-year high of $248.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.75, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.54.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.The company had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Waste Management will post 8.14 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.945 per share. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 54.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 6,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. The trade was a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 7,979 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.07, for a total value of $1,955,413.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 98,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,177,625.92. The trade was a 7.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 92,616 shares of company stock valued at $21,849,115. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WM. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $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. RHL Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 55.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and margin improvement — WM reported $1.81 EPS vs. $1.75 expected; EBITDA and margins rose due to pricing, cost reductions and sustainability/recycling gains, supporting near‑term earnings strength. WM’s Earnings Surpass Estimates in Q1, Revenues Rise Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target to $275 and reiterated a “buy” rating — a sizable uplift that signals investor confidence in WM’s margin trajectory and cash generation. TD Cowen price target raise to $275
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its target to $270 and maintained an “overweight” view — another institutional vote of confidence that likely helped lift the stock. Barclays raises target to $270
• Positive Sentiment: RBC nudged its target to $240 (sector perform) — smaller upside but adds to the cluster of analyst support after the quarter. RBC raises target to $240
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary views WM as a long‑term cash compounder — bullish writeups emphasize predictable cash flows, margin leverage and recycling tailwinds. Waste Management Is A Money Printing Compounder
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/recycling market data: multi‑layer film recycling market forecasts show strong long‑term growth (CAGR ~9.2%), which supports the industry narrative for increased recycling revenue opportunities but is a broader, longer‑term tailwind. Global Multi-layer Film Recycling Market Size/Share
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry writeups note WM grew margins in Q1 as pricing and sustainability investments offset volume pressure — supports the earnings beat but leaves questions about sustainability of revenue trends. WM Grows Margins in Q1
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slight miss and collection volumes fell — softer top‑line and volume trends are a restraint on multiple expansion and could temper near‑term upside if volumes don’t recover. WM’s Earnings Surpass Estimates in Q1 (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target slightly to $268 from $273 (still overweight) — a modest signal that some analysts see limited near‑term upside despite the beat. Wells Fargo lowers target to $268

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.