Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $257.89

Key Points

• Waste Management has a Moderate Buy consensus among 20 analysts, with 14 buy ratings and six holds. The average 12-month price target is $257.89, above the reported opening price of $233.33.
• The company’s latest quarter showed revenue growth of 6.3% year over year to $6.85 billion, though adjusted EPS of $2.15 slightly missed estimates. Healthcare growth and stronger free cash flow supported the outlook, while slower waste volumes and higher fuel costs pressured margins.
• WM maintained its 2026 outlook and recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.945 per share, equivalent to a 1.6% yield. Institutional investors own 80.4% of the stock, while insiders own just 0.18%; a chief accounting officer recently sold shares.

Shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $257.89.

WM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Waste Management from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Raymond James Financial set a $251.00 target price on shares of Waste Management in a report on Thursday. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $277.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $267.00 target price on shares of Waste Management in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group set a $280.00 price target on shares of Waste Management and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO John Carroll sold 1,365 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.90, for a total value of $300,163.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,509 shares in the company, valued at $771,629.10. The trade was a 28.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waste Management by 10.2% in the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 485 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 2,973 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $683,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Magnus Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 5,267 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Waste Management by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 713 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. grew its holdings in Waste Management by 3.4% during the second quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 1,493 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Key Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Waste Management maintained its 2026 outlook and guided revenue and free cash flow toward the high ends of its ranges, reassuring investors that growth remains on track. Waste Management Could Be 9% Undervalued After High End Guidance Reaffirmed
• Positive Sentiment: The healthcare business was a major growth driver, with operating EBITDA reportedly rising 33% year over year. Nine-month free cash flow also increased more than 42%, supporting capital returns and the company’s buyback program. WM Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Healthcare Gains and Volume Pressure
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their targets, including JPMorgan to $260 and Barclays to $283, while retaining overweight ratings. These revisions imply additional upside and reflect confidence in WM’s defensive cash flows and outlook. JPMorgan Waste Management Ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming CEO transition is attracting investor attention. Continuity in strategy and execution could support the stock, but leadership changes introduce uncertainty until further details are provided. Waste Management Earnings Call Signals Resilient Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Slowing waste volumes and higher fuel costs are pressuring margins. Earlier reports that WM shares gapped lower and broke below the 200-day moving average reflected the market’s initial disappointment with earnings and operational trends. WM Q3 Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Income investors face a longer-term risk: although WM has raised its dividend annually since 2009, persistent volume weakness could constrain future increases. The stock also trades at a relatively premium earnings multiple. Can Waste Management Keep Raising Its Dividend for Decades?

Waste Management Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $233.33 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.21. The firm has a market cap of $93.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $217.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.13. Waste Management has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18 by ($0.03). Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.97% and a net margin of 11.78%. The firm had revenue of $6.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.98 earnings per share. Waste Management's revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waste Management will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a dividend of $0.9450 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $3.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.61%.

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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