Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $275.00

Key Points

• TD Cowen raised its price target on Waste Management to $275 (from $270) with a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 17.9% upside versus the recent close amid a consensus analyst target of about $255.67 and a "Moderate Buy" consensus.
• Q1 results were mixed: WM beat EPS expectations ($1.81 vs. $1.74) and showed margin improvement, but revenue missed ($6.23B vs. $6.29B) and collection volumes softened; FY‑2026 revenue guidance of $26.4B–$26.6B was roughly in line with consensus.
• Insider and market activity: insiders sold roughly $23.0M of stock in the last 90 days (insiders own 0.18%), while shares traded up to $233.19 (+1.3%) and institutional investors hold about 80.4% of the stock.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at TD Cowen from $270.00 to $275.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the business services provider's stock. TD Cowen's price objective suggests a potential upside of 17.93% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $273.00 to $268.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Friday, March 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Waste Management from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $255.67.

Waste Management Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of WM traded up $2.88 on Thursday, hitting $233.19. 3,188,207 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,192,869. The company has a market capitalization of $93.96 billion, a PE ratio of 34.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.89. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $222.60. Waste Management has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.29 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Waste Management will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In related news, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total transaction of $4,171,464.31. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 44,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. The trade was a 28.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 7,352 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.50, for a total transaction of $1,724,044.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,644,130. This represents a 32.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WM. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 51.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,384,000 after buying an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. Sprott Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 1st quarter worth about $325,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 8.0% during the 2nd 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 boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 68.2% during the 2nd 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 stake in shares of Waste Management by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,338 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $764,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and margin expansion — WM reported $1.81 EPS (above consensus) while operating EBITDA and margins improved on pricing, cost cuts and sustainability initiatives. BusinessWire Q1 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $270 and keeps an "overweight" rating — a sizable upside signal that likely supported buying interest. Barclays PT Raise (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its target to $240 (sector perform), adding incremental analyst support. RBC PT Raise (TickerReport)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company issued FY‑2026 revenue guidance of $26.4B–$26.6B, roughly in line with consensus — guidance confirms stability but didn’t provide a clear upside surprise. Guidance (BusinessWire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage commentary and longer-form pieces highlight WM’s durable cash generation and compounding characteristics — supportive for longer‑term holders but less relevant for near‑term price moves. Seeking Alpha analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed Street expectations and collection volumes fell — the topline shortfall and softer volumes are headwinds that cap upside if the trend persists. Earnings and Revenue Coverage (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Some analyst adjustments were mixed — Wells Fargo trimmed its PT slightly (to $268) even while keeping an overweight stance, reflecting differing views on sustainability of margin gains vs. volume pressures. Wells Fargo PT Move (Benzinga)

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.

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