Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Given New $245.00 Price Target at BNP Paribas Exane

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Exane lowered Waste Management’s price target from $248 to $245 while maintaining a “neutral” rating, implying about 7.1% upside from the current price.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: WM has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $255.89, based on 14 Buy and six Hold ratings.
• Shares rose 1.6% to $228.75, while quarterly revenue increased 6.3% year over year to $6.85 billion; however, EPS of $2.15 narrowly missed the $2.18 consensus estimate.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by research analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from $248.00 to $245.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the business services provider's stock. BNP Paribas Exane's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 7.10% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on WM. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $263.00 target price on shares of Waste Management in a report on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their price target on Waste Management from $263.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Waste Management from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $240.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Management presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $255.89.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.6%

WM traded up $3.60 on Thursday, reaching $228.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,035,299 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,199,343. The company has a market capitalization of $91.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.42. Waste Management has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $217.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $225.01.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $2.15 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.68% and a net margin of 11.11%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.98 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Waste Management will post 8.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In related 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 value of $300,163.50. Following the completion of the sale, 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WM. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 30,733,944 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $6,849,981,000 after purchasing an additional 535,079 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 2.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,008,931 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,013,831,000 after buying an additional 507,209 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Waste Management by 1.1% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,121,427 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $695,704,000 after buying an additional 35,322 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its position in shares of Waste Management by 17.0% during the 1st quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,392,868 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $549,857,000 after acquiring an additional 348,183 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,320,966 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $533,340,000 after acquiring an additional 26,847 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target for WM from $277 to $283 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. Barclays WM price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and cash generation were solid. Third-quarter revenue rose 6.3% year over year to $6.85 billion, beating consensus estimates, while nine-month free cash flow increased more than 42%. Management expects full-year revenue and free cash flow near the high ends of its guidance ranges. WM Q3 earnings call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Healthcare was a key growth driver. Healthcare operating EBITDA increased 33% year over year in the third quarter, supporting the company’s broader margin and growth outlook. Waste Management long-term investor takeaways
• Neutral Sentiment: WM maintained its 2026 guidance despite operating headwinds, suggesting management remains confident in its outlook but leaving investors focused on whether growth can continue amid a mixed volume environment. WM Q3 earnings call highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings fell short of expectations. WM reported third-quarter EPS of $2.15, below the $2.18 consensus, although earnings increased from $1.98 in the prior-year quarter. Higher fuel and risk-management costs pressured margins. WM Q3 earnings miss estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Slowing waste volumes and elevated fuel expenses could continue to weigh on near-term profitability, tempering the otherwise favorable revenue and cash-flow trends.

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.

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