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Waste Management, Inc. (WM), headquartered in Houston, Texas, provides environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers. With a market cap of $93.2 billion, the company provides waste management services including collection, transfer, recycling, resource recovery, and disposal services, and operates waste-to-energy facilities. The leading provider of comprehensive waste management services is expected to announce its fiscal first-quarter earnings for 2026 after the market closes on Tuesday, Apr. 28.
Ahead of the event, analysts expect WM to report a profit of $1.76 per share on a diluted basis, up 5.4% from $1.67 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company beat the consensus estimates in two of the last four quarters while missing the forecast on two other occasions.
For the full year, analysts expect WM to report EPS of $8.16, up 8.8% from $7.50 in fiscal 2025. Its EPS is expected to rise 14% year over year to $9.30 in fiscal 2027.
WM stock has underperformed the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 25.1% gains over the past 52 weeks, with shares up 3.9% during this period. Similarly, it underperformed the State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLI) 35.8% gains over the same time frame.
On Jan. 28, WM shares closed up marginally after reporting its Q4 results. Its adjusted EPS of $1.93 missed Wall Street expectations of $1.95. The company’s revenue was $6.3 billion, missing Wall Street forecasts of $6.4 billion. WM expects full-year revenue in the range of $26.4 billion to $26.6 billion.
Analysts’ consensus opinion on WM stock is reasonably bullish, with a “Moderate Buy” rating overall. Out of 28 analysts covering the stock, 18 advise a “Strong Buy” rating, one suggests a “Moderate Buy,” and nine give a “Hold.” WM’s average analyst price target is $255.72, indicating a potential upside of 9.7% from the current levels.
