Scotiabank Research Analysts Cut Earnings Estimates for WM

Key Points

• Scotiabank cut its FY2027 EPS forecast for Waste Management to $9.14 (from $9.31) and kept a Sector Perform rating with a $250 price target.
• Waste Management beat Q1 EPS estimates ($1.81 vs. $1.75) but slightly missed revenue expectations ($6.23B vs. $6.28B) and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.945 (annualized $3.78, ~1.7% yield).
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive — the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with a $255.67 average target as several firms raised price targets, though insiders have sold roughly 92,616 shares in the last 90 days.

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Scotiabank reduced their FY2027 earnings estimates for Waste Management in a note issued to investors on Friday, May 1st. Scotiabank analyst K. Gupta now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings of $9.14 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $9.31. Scotiabank has a "Sector Perform" rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Waste Management's current full-year earnings is $8.18 per share.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Waste Management from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $255.67.

Waste Management Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of WM opened at $228.81 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $91.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.11, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $232.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $222.74. Waste Management has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 10.99%.Waste Management's revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.67 EPS.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.945 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Waste Management's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.70%.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president owned 6,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total value of $1,165,136.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 78,918 shares in the company, valued at $19,084,739.94. This represents a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 92,616 shares of company stock worth $21,849,115. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Waste Management by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,588 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Bey Douglas LLC boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Bey Douglas LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $271,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,922 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $422,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,341,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Waste Management by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,398 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $527,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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