Q1 EPS Estimates for Waste Management Cut by Zacks Research

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) – Research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Waste Management in a report issued on Wednesday, February 19th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $1.70 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.80. The consensus estimate for Waste Management’s current full-year earnings is $7.70 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Waste Management’s Q2 2025 earnings at $1.91 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.07 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.94 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.94 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.61 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.86 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.02 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.14 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.14 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $7.92 EPS.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 37.93% and a net margin of 12.45%.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on WM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Waste Management from $213.00 to $219.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $255.00 to $238.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Waste Management from $231.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Waste Management from $220.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.94.

Waste Management Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Management stock opened at $229.70 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $92.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.78, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Waste Management has a 1 year low of $196.59 and a 1 year high of $230.63. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $213.79 and its 200 day moving average is $213.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 4,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 123 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its stake in Waste Management by 892.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Waste Management in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. General Partner Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Management in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 4,576 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.12, for a total transaction of $1,016,421.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 58,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,052,881.80. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total value of $46,094.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,066 shares in the company, valued at $1,999,506.30. This trade represents a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 60,460 shares of company stock worth $13,721,774. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. This is an increase from Waste Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Waste Management’s payout ratio is currently 44.12%.

Waste Management Company Profile

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.