Scotiabank Cuts Earnings Estimates for Waste Management

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) – Analysts at Scotiabank lowered their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Waste Management in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, January 23rd. Scotiabank analyst K. Gupta now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings of $8.13 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $8.22. Scotiabank currently has a “Sector Perform” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Waste Management’s current full-year earnings is $7.70 per share. Scotiabank also issued estimates for Waste Management’s FY2027 earnings at $9.34 EPS.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.03). Waste Management had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 10.35%.The firm had revenue of $6.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

WM has been the topic of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a report on Monday, November 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Waste Management from $252.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Waste Management from $234.00 to $223.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $251.19.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.1%

WM stock opened at $229.22 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $217.86 and a 200-day moving average of $219.13. 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 $92.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.10, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Management

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WM. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Waste Management by 2.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,436,462 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,487,924,000 after acquiring an additional 774,255 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,647,146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,972,856,000 after buying an additional 126,329 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Waste Management by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,668,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,250,613,000 after buying an additional 277,250 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Waste Management in the second quarter worth approximately $1,064,206,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 0.3% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,954,519 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $873,276,000 after acquiring an additional 11,688 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.06, for a total transaction of $299,542.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,373,112.40. The trade was a 8.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.97%.

Trending Headlines about Waste Management

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $246 and kept an “overweight” rating, signaling confidence in WM’s upside and providing immediate support for the stock. Wells Fargo raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks previews expect Q4 revenue up ~14.5% to $6.4B and EPS around $1.95, saying Collection and Healthcare segments are driving growth — a beat vs. cyclic worries would likely lift the shares. WM Gears Up to Post Q4 Earnings: Here’s What Investors Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat/other publications continue to profile WM as a defensive, dividend-backed infrastructure play (long runway from landfill/regulatory moats), which supports interest from income-focused investors. Waste Management company overview (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks deeper analysis explores metric-level estimates (like volumes, pricing, fuel and benefit impacts) that will drive Q4 results — useful for parsing beats/misses beyond headline EPS. What Analyst Projections for Key Metrics Reveal About WM Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market commentary (TipRanks, Zacks market wrap) highlights WM’s resilience and modest upside in technical studies — these pieces can attract momentum flows but are not fundamental catalysts. TipRanks sector piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank reiterated a “Sector Perform” stance (keeps coverage steady) — a neutral signal that tempers extreme bullishness but doesn’t add fresh negative pressure. Scotiabank reiterates Sector Perform
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank/other outlets have also been reported as downgrading WM in recent headlines, which creates conflicting analyst signals and can pressure sentiment ahead of results. Scotiabank downgrades Waste Management (MSN)
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays/other reports issued pessimistic price forecasts — coupled with WM’s prior quarterly slight EPS/revenue miss, these bearish calls could weigh on shares if the Q4 print or guidance disappoints. Barclays issues pessimistic forecast

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.