Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02), Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 33.22% and a net margin of 10.74%.The company’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.70 earnings per share.

Waste Management Stock Down 3.7%

Shares of NYSE WM opened at $223.02 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $219.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $219.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.85 billion, a PE ratio of 33.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Waste Management has a 12 month low of $194.11 and a 12 month high of $242.58.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 49.25%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of Waste Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.06, for a total transaction of $299,542.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,373,112.40. The trade was a 8.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Waste Management by 0.3% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,954,519 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $873,276,000 after purchasing an additional 11,688 shares in the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 3,262,148 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $720,380,000 after buying an additional 364,512 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Waste Management by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,586,393 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $571,153,000 after acquiring an additional 70,363 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Waste Management by 5.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,849,752 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $408,481,000 after acquiring an additional 91,097 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Waste Management by 4.7% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,783,788 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $393,913,000 after purchasing an additional 80,232 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company reiterates capital-return push: WM raised its dividend (14% increase noted) and signaled a return to buybacks (guidance assumes ~$2B this year), supporting longer-term shareholder yield and offsetting dilution. Waste Management’s “Boring” Business Is Powering a Quiet Rally
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating and raised the price target to $270, underscoring confidence in core operations, free-cash-flow growth and upside from the healthcare segment. Buy Rating on Waste Management: Strong Core Operations, Growing Free Cash Flow, and Upside from Healthcare Segment Turnaround
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying cash flow and margins improving: Company and coverage highlight revenue growth, margin expansion and stronger operating cash flow that underpin the buyback/dividend narrative. WM Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 earnings call transcript is available for detail review (useful for modeling one-offs, weather impacts and segment commentary). Waste Management, Inc. (WM) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry outlook items (e.g., drilling waste management market research) add context to end-market growth but are not core to WM’s municipal/commercial franchise today. Solid Control Drilling Waste Management Market Size to Hit $3.23 Billion by 2035 | Research by SNS Insider
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings and revenue miss: WM reported Q4 EPS below consensus (reported $1.93 vs. ~ $1.95 consensus) and revenue of ~$6.31B that missed Street estimates — the headline miss triggered the immediate negative reaction. WM Earnings Miss Estimates in Q4, Revenues Rise 14% Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance and expectations: FY2026 revenue guidance landed slightly light vs. consensus range and the company’s targets left some investors wanting clearer upside, contributing to selling pressure after the print. Waste Management Stock Falls After Disappointing Q4 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term operational headwinds: Weather disruptions (winter storms) and other short-term service interruptions were cited as incremental headwinds for Q4/service performance. Winter Storm Disrupts WM Service And Tests Long Term Investment Story

Analyst Ratings Changes

WM has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Waste Management from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Waste Management from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial set a $260.00 price objective on Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $251.19.

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.