Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Given New $250.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price objective hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $246.00 to $250.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 13.79% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on WM. DZ Bank assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. UBS Group upgraded Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Truist Financial set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. CIBC reduced their target price on shares of Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Waste Management from $232.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $252.14.

Waste Management Stock Down 1.5%

NYSE:WM traded down $3.43 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $219.70. 560,303 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,139,781. 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 fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $242.58. The company has a market capitalization of $88.51 billion, a PE ratio of 32.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $219.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $219.32.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.06, for a total value 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. This represents a 8.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Waste Management in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,064,206,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in shares of Waste Management by 444.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,206,026 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $487,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800,728 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Management by 15,782.4% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,728,486 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $395,512,000 after purchasing an additional 1,717,603 shares in the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP boosted its position in Waste Management by 55.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 2,897,636 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $663,037,000 after buying an additional 1,034,258 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Waste Management by 218.3% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,369,805 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $302,494,000 after acquiring an additional 939,455 shares in the last quarter. 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: TD Cowen reiterated a Buy and raised the focus on WM’s strong core operations, growing free cash flow and potential upside from the healthcare segment turnaround — a bullish analyst signal that supports upside vs. current levels. Buy Rating on Waste Management
• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a 14% dividend increase and signaled intent to resume buybacks (guidance assumes ~$2B in buybacks), which supports shareholder returns and offsets near?term disappointment. WM Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary framing WM as a steady, cash-generative business that could keep rallying over time; argues the Q4 miss is not a change to the long?term thesis (dividends, margin expansion, buybacks). Waste Management’s “Boring” Business Is Powering a Quiet Rally
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings call transcript is available for investors wanting detail on drivers (pricing, volumes, cost trends, healthcare segment commentary). Useful for modeling near?term recovery vs. guidance. Waste Management, Inc. (WM) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed consensus: EPS and revenue were slightly below Street expectations (reported ~$1.93 EPS vs. ~1.95 consensus; revenue ~$6.31B vs. ~$6.39B). The miss prompted the immediate negative market reaction as it cut into near?term expectations. WM Earnings and Revenues Lag Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction coverage: several outlets report the stock fell after Q4 results and details showing EPS/revenue misses and the company’s guidance left some investors unimpressed. These headlines amplify selling pressure in the short term. Waste Management Stock Falls After Disappointing Q4 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Third?party fiscal summaries flagged larger-than-expected EPS shortfalls in some feeds (Quiver/aggregate data), noting weaker-than-expected cash & balance sheet line details that can drive closer scrutiny by investors. Waste Management Inc. (WM) stock falls on Q4 2025 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry research notes long?term market growth in drilling waste management — a sector snapshot that’s unlikely to move WM’s stock near term but adds context for investors focused on end?market trends. Solid Control Drilling Waste Management Market Size to Hit $3.23 Billion by 2035
• Negative Sentiment: Operational headwinds (short?term): winter storms disrupted service in some regions, highlighting near?term execution risk and potential incremental costs. Winter Storm Disrupts WM Service And Tests Long Term Investment Story

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.