TD Cowen Boosts Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target to $270.00

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its target price increased by equities researchers at TD Cowen from $265.00 to $270.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the business services provider’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target indicates a potential upside of 22.51% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a report on Monday, December 29th. DZ Bank started coverage on Waste Management in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Waste Management from $236.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (down from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.55.

Waste Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WM traded down $2.75 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $220.39. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,316,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,177,796. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $88.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.59. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $219.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $219.32. Waste Management has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $242.58.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.02). Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 33.22%. The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waste Management will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,373,112.40. This trade represents a 8.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 2,320 shares in the last quarter. Sprott Inc. bought a new position in Waste Management in the first quarter valued at about $325,000. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp lifted its position in Waste Management by 34.7% during the 2nd quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp now owns 1,491 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 129.4% during the second quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $602,000 after buying an additional 1,484 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI grew its holdings in Waste Management by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 10,522 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,408,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Waste Management News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several brokers raised targets today, signaling continued analyst confidence — Oppenheimer raised its target to $264 and kept an “outperform” rating. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo nudged its price target to $250 and kept an “overweight” call, reflecting upside expectations from margin/cash?flow recovery. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel raised its target to $252 and kept a “buy” rating, another vote of confidence that WM can deliver steady cash returns. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: RBC lifted its target to $235 (sector perform), adding to the cluster of upward target revisions. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reiterated a Buy and a $270 target, and MarketBeat highlights resumed buybacks, a 14% dividend raise and a forecast of accelerating free cash flow — catalysts for longer?term upside. Read More. • Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry research sees long?term growth in specialized waste segments (solid control/drilling waste), a tailwind for sector demand but not an immediate stock driver. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and analysis are available for investors digging into segment trends (healthcare vertical, legacy core strength); useful for longer?term thesis but less immediate than top?line and guidance beats/misses. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results and FY guidance disappointed some investors: revenue and EPS missed consensus (Q4 revenue ~$6.31B vs. estimates; EPS slightly below consensus), and guidance was a touch light versus some Street models — this drove the initial sell?off. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction included an intraday pullback as investors digested the miss and the timing/size of buybacks versus remaining debt targets; near?term volatility may persist until the company demonstrates the promised cash?flow acceleration. Read More.

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.