The company, a leader in recycling and garbage collection, had an outstanding November.
Waste Management is rated a Buy with a $242 price target, offering a 12% upside and strong defensive qualities for long-term investors. WM delivered double-digit revenue growth and premium margins, driven by its core business and expansion into recycling and renewable energy. Despite heavy leverage and recent bottom-line headwinds, anticipated Fed easing and future EPS growth in FY2026 support a bullish outlook for WM.
The big picture is looking bright for Waste Management, as waste generation trends are favorable for their legacy business. Despite some initial challenges, their Healthcare bet is a good strategic decision that's likely to accelerate growth for the company moving forward. While recycled commodity price headwinds are pressuring revenue results and guidance, 2025 is still on track to be a more robust year than 2024.
Waste Management stands out as North America's largest waste management company, boasting a wide moat and a predictable business model. WM's growth is fueled by landfill scarcity, strategic acquisitions like Stericycle, and a robust 22-year dividend growth streak. At a forward P/E of 24.9, WM trades below its 10-year average, offering potential 9-11% annual total returns through 2030.
Waste Management offers a compelling blend of defensive stability and growth potential, making it attractive even in growth-oriented portfolios. WM's predictable revenues, strong pricing power, and margin expansion are supported by long-term contracts, regulatory barriers, and sustainability investments. Valuation remains reasonable, with recent share price gains driven by fundamentals, not multiple expansion; FCF is set to rebound as capex normalizes.
Waste Management (WM) reported earnings 30 days ago. What's next for the stock?
Waste Management stands as the dominant U.S. waste services provider, boasting a resilient, AI-resistant business model and a powerful regulatory moat. Despite a recent earnings double-miss and a 20% stock pullback, WM offers a compelling entry point, trading at a discount to historical and peer valuations. Strategic investments in recycling, renewable energy, and healthcare waste position WM for durable growth, with cost synergies from the Stericycle acquisition enhancing profitability.
WM's third-quarter 2025 earnings and revenues miss estimates, even with solid margins and segmental growth.
WM is underperforming the S&P 500 in 2025. The company's core business is performing well, but results in recycling and healthcare have been disappointing.
Waste Management, GFL Environmental, Custom Truck One Source, Concrete Pumping, Avalon, LanzaTech Global, and ESGL are the seven Waste Management stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeat's stock screener tool. Waste management stocks are shares of companies that collect, transport, treat, recycle, and dispose of municipal, industrial, and hazardous waste, including landfill operators, recycling firms,
Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM ) Q3 2025 Earnings Call October 28, 2025 10:00 AM EDT Company Participants Edward Egl - Director of Investor Relations James Fish - CEO & Director John Morris - President & COO Devina Rankin - Executive VP & CFO Tara Hemmer - Senior VP & Chief Sustainability Officer Rafael Carrasco - Senior VP of Enterprise Strategy & President of WM Healthcare Solutions Conference Call Participants Patrick Brown - Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Research Division Noah Kaye - Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Research Division Trevor Romeo Toni Kaplan - Morgan Stanley, Research Division James Schumm - TD Cowen, Research Division Robert Wertheimer - Melius Research LLC Faiza Alwy - Deutsche Bank AG, Research Division Tami Zakaria - JPMorgan Chase & Co, Research Division Konark Gupta - Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets, Research Division Kevin Chiang - CIBC Capital Markets, Research Division Shlomo Rosenbaum - Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Research Division Bryan Burgmeier - Citigroup Inc., Research Division Stephanie Benjamin Moore - Jefferies LLC, Research Division Presentation Operator Good day, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the WM Third Quarter Earnings Conference Call.
WM's third-quarter 2025 results fall short of estimates despite a 15% y/y revenue jump, lifted by strong landfill and renewable energy gains.