Brokerages Set Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) PT at $256.74

Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $257.2222.

Several analysts recently commented on WM shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Waste Management from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th.

Waste Management Trading Down 1.0%

WM stock opened at $237.12 on Thursday. Waste Management has a 12-month low of $194.11 and a 12-month high of $248.13. The business’s 50-day moving average is $225.18 and its 200 day moving average is $227.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The stock has a market cap of $95.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.44.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.71 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.74% and a net margin of 11.11%.The business’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.92 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.70%.

Waste Management News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: WM reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.02 per share, above the roughly $1.98-$1.99 consensus and up from $1.92 a year earlier. Pricing actions and efficiency improvements supported profitability and margins. WM Earnings Beat on Pricing in Q2, Revenues Miss Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue increased 4% year over year to $6.684 billion, while adjusted operating results and operating EBITDA also improved from the prior-year period. The earnings call highlighted pricing as an important driver of performance. WM Announces Second Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s second-quarter results were broadly resilient, but investors are focused on whether pricing and cost controls can continue to offset weaker volumes. The full earnings call provides additional context on demand, margins and the company’s outlook. Waste Management Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue of $6.684 billion was slightly below the approximately $6.71 billion analyst estimate, with softer collection volumes offsetting pricing gains. That raises concerns about underlying volume growth. Waste Management Posts Q2 Sales in Line With Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: WM forecast fiscal 2026 revenue of approximately $26.3 billion to $26.5 billion, implying a midpoint modestly below the $26.5 billion consensus. The cautious outlook likely limited the benefit of the earnings beat. Waste Management Posts Q2 Sales in Line With Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group marginally reduced its fiscal 2026 EPS estimate to $8.15 from $8.16, signaling limited near-term expectations for earnings upside. Waste Management Analyst Estimate Update

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 51.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,384,000 after acquiring an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. Sprott Inc. acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the first quarter worth about $325,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Waste Management by 8.0% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 272,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $62,339,000 after purchasing an additional 20,122 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Waste Management by 68.2% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 366,416 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $83,843,000 after purchasing an additional 148,590 shares during the period. Finally, Glenview Trust co boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,338 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $764,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.