William Blair Forecasts Lower Earnings for Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) – Analysts at William Blair lowered their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for Waste Management in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, January 31st. William Blair analyst T. Romeo now expects that the business services provider will earn $1.78 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.86. William Blair currently has a “Outperform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Waste Management’s current full-year earnings is $7.92 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Waste Management’s Q2 2025 earnings at $1.95 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.08 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.11 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.79 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.05 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.25 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.42 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $2.27 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on WM. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Waste Management from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Waste Management from $243.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waste Management from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, CIBC increased their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $228.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $234.50.

Waste Management Price Performance

Waste Management stock opened at $222.33 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $89.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $212.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $211.25. Waste Management has a 1 year low of $187.20 and a 1 year high of $230.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.09). Waste Management had a return on equity of 38.88% and a net margin of 12.45%.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.12%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, CAO John A. Carroll sold 209 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.55, for a total transaction of $46,094.95. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,999,506.30. This trade represents a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Charles C. Boettcher sold 693 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.59, for a total value of $152,868.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 45,542 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,046,109.78. This trade represents a 1.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,055 shares of company stock worth $2,674,780 over the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Denali Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Waste Management by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 24,375 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,919,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC now owns 7,142 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,441,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Waste Management in the 4th quarter valued at $302,000. Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. increased its holdings in Waste Management by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. now owns 1,584 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 615,802 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $124,263,000 after acquiring an additional 58,826 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.