TD Cowen Issues Positive Forecast for Waste Management (NYSE:WM) Stock Price

30 Jan 2026, 19:26 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

Waste Management (NYSE:WM – Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by research analysts at TD Cowen from $265.00 to $270.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the business services provider’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target points to a potential upside of 22.51% from the stock’s current price.

WM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. DZ Bank started coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Waste Management from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $238.00 to $242.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (down previously from $254.00) on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Management currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.55.

View Our Latest Stock Report on WM

Waste Management Price Performance

WM stock traded down $2.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $220.39. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,316,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,177,796. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36. Waste Management has a fifty-two week low of $194.11 and a fifty-two week high of $242.58. The stock has a market cap of $88.79 billion, a PE ratio of 32.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.59. The company’s 50 day moving average is $219.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.32.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The business services provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.39 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 33.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Waste Management will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other Waste Management news, SVP Rafael Carrasco sold 1,380 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $3,373,112.40. This represents a 8.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Management

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Management by 51.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,384,000 after acquiring an additional 2,320 shares in the last quarter. Sprott Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 1st quarter worth approximately $325,000. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp grew its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 34.7% during the second quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp now owns 1,491 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Waste Management by 129.4% in the second quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $602,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI lifted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 1.9% in the second quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 10,522 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,408,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Management News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: Several brokers raised targets today, signaling continued analyst confidence — Oppenheimer raised its target to $264 and kept an “outperform” rating. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo nudged its price target to $250 and kept an “overweight” call, reflecting upside expectations from margin/cash‑flow recovery. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: Stifel raised its target to $252 and kept a “buy” rating, another vote of confidence that WM can deliver steady cash returns. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: RBC lifted its target to $235 (sector perform), adding to the cluster of upward target revisions. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reiterated a Buy and a $270 target, and MarketBeat highlights resumed buybacks, a 14% dividend raise and a forecast of accelerating free cash flow — catalysts for longer‑term upside. Read More. • Read More.
Neutral Sentiment: Industry research sees long‑term growth in specialized waste segments (solid control/drilling waste), a tailwind for sector demand but not an immediate stock driver. Read More.
Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and analysis are available for investors digging into segment trends (healthcare vertical, legacy core strength); useful for longer‑term thesis but less immediate than top‑line and guidance beats/misses. Read More.
Negative Sentiment: Q4 results and FY guidance disappointed some investors: revenue and EPS missed consensus (Q4 revenue ~$6.31B vs. estimates; EPS slightly below consensus), and guidance was a touch light versus some Street models — this drove the initial sell‑off. Read More.
Negative Sentiment: Market reaction included an intraday pullback as investors digested the miss and the timing/size of buybacks versus remaining debt targets; near‑term volatility may persist until the company demonstrates the promised cash‑flow acceleration. Read More.

About Waste Management

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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.