Royal Bank Of Canada Boosts Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Price Target to $235.00

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) had its price objective increased by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $223.00 to $235.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “sector perform” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 7.33% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also commented on WM. DZ Bank assumed coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $238.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Waste Management from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Waste Management in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Waste Management from $266.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $252.76.

Waste Management Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of WM traded down $4.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $218.95. The company had a trading volume of 1,091,332 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,170,579. The stock has a market cap of $88.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.63, 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. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $219.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $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 issued 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 return on equity of 33.22% and a net margin of 10.74%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.70 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Management will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 value of $299,542.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Management

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,583,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 3.1% during the second quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 57,093 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,064,000 after purchasing an additional 1,698 shares during the last quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 50.6% in the second quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. now owns 16,640 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 5,588 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Waste Management by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,804 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $21,156,000 after buying an additional 7,143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Waste Management during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,092,000. 80.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Management News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple broker upgrades and higher price targets — Stifel raised its target from $236 to $252 and put a “buy” rating on WM, and Wells Fargo raised its target to $250 with an “overweight” call; these lifts add buying pressure by increasing perceived upside. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy and set a $270 target, signaling strong analyst conviction and giving investors a higher-stakes bull case for WM. TipRanks
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat feature highlights durable demand, margin improvement, a 14% dividend increase and the company’s plan to resume ~$2B of buybacks this year — all supportive of long-term total return and a floor under the stock. MarketBeat
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry research forecasts growth in related waste-management niches (e.g., solid control drilling waste management) through 2035 — positive for long-term demand but not an immediate earnings catalyst. GlobeNewswire
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative coverage (Veolia vs WM) and sector write-ups keep WM on investors’ screens; useful for relative-value buying but not a direct near-term mover. Zacks
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed expectations: EPS and revenue were slightly below consensus (EPS miss ~ $0.02 vs. MarketBeat/Zacks estimates), which triggered the initial intraday sell-off as analysts and traders re-priced near-term growth assumptions. MarketBeat Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance and figures were slightly shy of Street expectations (FY revenue range vs. consensus), and commentary about near-term weather disruption (winter storm) raised short-term operational risk for collection/service continuity. Yahoo Finance
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction pieces and third‑party data (Quiver, Benzinga) highlighted larger-than-expected EPS and revenue misses in some feeds, plus limited insider selling disclosures — factors that can amplify downside in the short term. QuiverQuant

About Waste Management

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.