Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target Raised to $240.00

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price target boosted by equities researchers at Royal Bank Of Canada from $235.00 to $240.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “sector perform” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 3.37% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. 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 research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.43.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of WM traded up $1.87 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $232.18. The stock had a trading volume of 1,319,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,185,402. Waste Management has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $248.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.55 billion, a PE ratio of 34.67, a PEG 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $232.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.60.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.07. Waste Management had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 10.74%.The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. Waste Management’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Waste Management will post 8.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, COO John J. Morris sold 4,211 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.38, for a total transaction of $1,024,873.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 99,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,320,720.02. The trade was a 4.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Donald J. Smith sold 12,194 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $2,847,055.12. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 6,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,406,483.52. This represents a 66.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 98,042 shares of company stock worth $23,039,777 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted 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 worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Bey Douglas LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 3.7% in 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 during the last quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,922 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $422,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,341,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,398 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $527,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and margin/EBITDA improvements — WM reported $1.81 EPS vs. ~$1.74 consensus; operating EBITDA and margins expanded thanks to pricing, cost cuts and sustainability initiatives, which supports earnings durability. WM Announces First Quarter 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Industry write-ups highlight margin momentum — coverage (Waste360) notes WM grew margins in Q1 as pricing and sustainability investments offset volume pressure, reinforcing the stock’s earnings quality narrative. WM Grows Margins in Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/long-form bullish takes — a Seeking Alpha piece frames WM as a “money printing compounder,” which can bolster investor confidence and longer-term multiple support. Waste Management Is A Money Printing Compounder
• Positive Sentiment: Recycling and sustainability cited as contributors to earnings growth — company commentary and press coverage point to recycling initiatives helping margins, a positive signal for structural profitability. WM cites recycling as a factor in earnings growth
• Neutral Sentiment: FY?2026 revenue guidance largely in line with Street — company updated FY revenue outlook to about $26.4–$26.6B versus a consensus near $26.5B, suggesting guidance is not a surprise to the market.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and transcripts available — the Q1 call transcript and several summaries are live for investors wanting detail on volume trends, pricing cadence and margin drivers. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and volume softness — revenue missed estimates ($6.23B vs. ~$6.29B est.) and collection volumes declined, which raises questions about top?line growth sustainability if volume trends persist. WM Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target tweak — Wells Fargo trimmed its price target from $273 to $268 while keeping an Overweight rating; a modest cut that could temper upside expectations despite the bullish rating. Wells Fargo Price Target Change

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.