TD Cowen Issues Positive Forecast for Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Stock Price

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price target boosted by TD Cowen from $270.00 to $275.00 in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price 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 boosted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. One 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $255.67.

Waste Management Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:WM opened at $233.19 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $232.31 and a 200-day moving average of $222.67. The company has a market cap of $93.95 billion, a PE ratio of 33.75, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.54. Waste Management has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $248.13.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) 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 $1.75 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waste Management will post 8.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.945 dividend. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 54.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Waste Management news, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total value of $2,847,055.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 92,616 shares of company stock worth $21,849,115 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

More Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings: EPS beat expectations and margins/EBITDA improved as pricing, cost actions and sustainability investments offset volume headwinds — supports upside to profit outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: TD Cowen raised its price target to $275 and maintained a buy rating, signaling strong upside potential and likely contributing to buying interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: Barclays raised its target to $270 and kept an overweight rating, adding institutional support for the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Margin / sustainability coverage: Industry reporting highlights WM’s margin expansion and credits recycling and sustainability investments for helping offset lower collection volumes. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC raised its price target modestly to $240 but kept a “sector perform” rating — a small endorsement but not a strong buy signal. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 guidance: Company updated its fiscal-year guidance with revenue in a $26.4–$26.6B range (roughly in line with consensus), offering limited surprise to estimates.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry trend: A market report projects growth in multi-layer film recycling through 2035, a potential long-term tailwind for recycling-related services but not an immediate earnings driver. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Softer volumes and revenue miss: Revenues were slightly below estimates and collection volumes fell, which caps near-term top-line growth and prompted some cautious commentary. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target from $273 to $268 (remains overweight) — a modest pullback in analyst enthusiasm that could temper upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary: Recent pieces (e.g., Seeking Alpha) frame WM as a durable cash-generator and compounding business, which can support multiple expansion and long-term investor interest. Article Title

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.