Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Stock Price

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $273.00 to $268.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 17.13% from the company’s current price.

WM has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on 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. raised their price target on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.67.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:WM opened at $228.81 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The firm has a market cap of $92.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.49. Waste Management has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $248.13. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $232.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $222.67.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Waste Management will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO John J. Morris sold 7,979 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 98,656 shares in the company, valued at $24,177,625.92. The trade was a 7.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 92,616 shares of company stock worth $21,849,115 over the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Waste Management in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 55.3% in the 4th quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 101.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst boosts from high-conviction firms — TD Cowen raised its price target to $275 and keeps a buy rating, and Barclays lifted its target to $270 with an overweight rating. Those upgrades signal analyst confidence and imply double‑digit upside from current levels. TD Cowen raise Barclays raise
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights WM as a strong growth stock based on style scores and fundamentals — a positive signal for growth-oriented investors and fund flows. Zacks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Modest price target increase from RBC to $240 with a “sector perform” rating — supportive but conservative, reflecting limited near-term conviction (small upside). RBC note
• Neutral Sentiment: Market research on multi-layer film recycling forecasts strong long‑term growth (9.2% CAGR to 2035), which supports waste/recycling industry tailwinds but is unlikely to move WM stock immediately. Market report
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga summary: analysts revised forecasts after WM’s Q1 (EPS beat, revenue miss). The mixed nature of results leaves room for differing analyst actions and contributes to intra-day volatility. Analyst revisions
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target from $273 to $268 (still overweight) — a downward tweak that reduces near-term upside expectations. Wells Fargo trim
• Negative Sentiment: Peer strength: Waste Connections (WCN) reported beat-and-raise style results and noted liquidity considerations, highlighting competitive momentum in the sector that could put pressure on WM’s market-share narrative. Investors may reallocate toward peers showing stronger near-term top-line momentum. WCN article

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.