Erste Group Bank Issues Optimistic Estimate for WM Earnings

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) – Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2026 earnings estimates for Waste Management in a research note issued on Friday, September 18th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings of $8.13 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $8.12. The consensus estimate for Waste Management’s current full-year earnings is $8.13 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Waste Management’s FY2027 earnings at $9.06 EPS.

WM has been the topic of several other research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Waste Management from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Waste Management from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Waste Management from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lowered Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Waste Management from $263.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.89.

Waste Management Stock Performance

NYSE WM opened at $208.02 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $83.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. Waste Management has a 52-week low of $194.11 and a 52-week high of $248.13. The company has a fifty day moving average of $224.03 and a 200-day moving average of $225.06.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.04. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.11% and a return on equity of 31.68%. The business had revenue of $6.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.92 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.945 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $3.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Waste Management’s payout ratio is presently 53.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Management

In other news, CAO John Carroll sold 1,365 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.90, for a total value of $300,163.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,509 shares in the company, valued at $771,629.10. The trade was a 28.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 10.2% during the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 485 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Management by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 2,973 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Waste Management by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,386 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Waste Management by 55.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Warren Street Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 4.6% in the first quarter. Warren Street Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,058 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Waste Management

WM, Inc, formerly known as Waste Management, Inc, is an environmental services company that provides waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers, helping manage everyday refuse as well as certain specialized waste streams.

Its operations include curbside and commercial waste collection, transfer stations, recycling facilities, landfills and waste-related energy services. WM also develops renewable natural gas and electricity projects that capture landfill gas for use as an energy source.