Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Given New $268.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price target trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $273.00 to $268.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on WM. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $223.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective 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. 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. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.67.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $233.19 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $232.31 and a 200-day moving average of $222.67. Waste Management has a 1-year low of $194.11 and a 1-year high of $248.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The company has a market cap of $93.95 billion, a PE ratio of 33.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.54.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.99% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The company had revenue of $6.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other news, CEO James C. Fish, Jr. sold 30,390 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.36, for a total transaction of $7,000,640.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 225,793 shares in the company, valued at $52,013,675.48. This represents a 11.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Michael J. Watson sold 17,251 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.81, for a total transaction of $4,171,464.31. Following the sale, the vice president owned 44,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,674,944.26. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 92,616 shares of company stock worth $21,849,115. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 6.1% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 216,576 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $49,767,000 after buying an additional 12,507 shares during the period. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 3.2% during the first quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 1,775 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 9.0% during the first quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 2,436 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 1.0% during the first quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 6,044 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,389,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Sonata Capital Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter worth $207,000. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key 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

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.