Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target to $268.00

Key Points

• Wells Fargo cut its price target on Waste Management to $268 (from $273) but kept an "overweight" rating, implying roughly a 15.6% upside from the current share price.
• Waste Management beat Q1 EPS at $1.81 vs. $1.74 consensus and expanded margins via pricing and sustainability efforts, though revenue of $6.23B missed estimates and declining collection volumes present a demand headwind.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive with an average price target of $254.95 and a "Moderate Buy" consensus, while insiders sold about 98,042 shares last quarter and institutional investors own roughly 80.4% of the stock.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $273.00 to $268.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the business services provider's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target indicates a potential upside of 15.63% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on WM. Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $263.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Waste Management from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $254.95.

Waste Management Stock Performance

WM traded up $1.47 on Thursday, hitting $231.78. 759,345 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,177,570. Waste Management has a twelve month low of $194.11 and a twelve month high of $248.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The firm has a market cap of $93.39 billion, a PE ratio of 34.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.54. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $232.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.60.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Johnson Varkey sold 121 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.27, for a total value of $29,677.67. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 9,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,279,294.11. This represents a 1.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,818 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.83, for a total transaction of $1,165,136.94. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 78,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,084,739.94. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 2,320 shares during the last quarter. Sprott Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the 1st quarter valued at about $325,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its position 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 valued at $62,339,000 after purchasing an additional 20,122 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 148,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust co grew its position 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 buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.40% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat on EPS and margin improvement: WM reported $1.81 EPS vs. ~$1.74 consensus and operating EBITDA/margins expanded year-over-year, driven by pricing and cost optimization — a clear profitability beat that supports the stock. WM Announces First Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Pricing + sustainability investments offset volume pressure: Management said pricing, recycling improvements and sustainability initiatives raised yields and operating efficiency, helping margins despite weaker volumes — a structurally positive signal for recurring cash flow. WM Grows Margins in Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/commentary support: Bullish research and commentary highlight WM as a cash-flow compounder with strong returns on equity, reinforcing investor confidence in long-term cash generation and capital allocation. Waste Management Is A Money Printing Compounder
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 revenue guidance essentially in line: WM updated FY revenue guidance to roughly $26.4–26.6B, centering on consensus — guidance is neither upside nor a significant shortfall, leaving focus on margins and volume trends. (Company release / summary) WM Announces First Quarter 2026 Earnings (Business Wire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call detail available: Transcript and call summaries provide management color on recycling, pricing cadence and cost actions — useful for modeling but not introducing new surprises yet. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Volume pressure and revenue miss: Revenue came in at $6.23B vs. ~$6.29B expected and collection volumes declined, a demand headwind that could cap upside if pricing cannot fully offset lower volumes. Q1 profit rose but collection volumes fell

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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