FY2025 EPS Forecast for Waste Management Lowered by Analyst

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) - Research analysts at National Bank Financial decreased their FY2025 EPS estimates for shares of Waste Management in a research report issued on Wednesday, July 9th. National Bank Financial analyst M. Doumet now expects that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $7.67 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $7.68. National Bank Financial has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Waste Management's current full-year earnings is $7.70 per share.

Several other research firms have also commented on WM. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Waste Management to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Hsbc Global Res raised Waste Management from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Waste Management from $241.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Waste Management from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $251.29.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.1%

WM traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $225.90. 1,696,881 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,634,195. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $232.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $225.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.90 billion, a PE ratio of 34.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.83. Waste Management has a 1 year low of $196.59 and a 1 year high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.14 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 35.67% and a net margin of 11.67%. Waste Management's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.75 earnings per share.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 985.4% during the second quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 25,810 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,906,000 after purchasing an additional 23,432 shares during the last quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC lifted its position in Waste Management by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 3,695 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $845,000 after buying an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 41.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 3,400 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Waste Management by 0.8% during the second quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,234 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,486,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Finally, BTC Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the second quarter valued at about $5,496,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, CFO Devina A. Rankin sold 57,888 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.36, for a total value of $13,740,295.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 83,934 shares in the company, valued at $19,922,574.24. This trade represents a 40.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 674 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.81, for a total transaction of $159,609.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,542 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,917,311.02. This represents a 3.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th were given a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.77%.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.