In the latest close session, Waste Management (WM) was up +1.11% at $229.00. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.55%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.63%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.91%.
Shares of the garbage and recycling hauler witnessed a gain of 2.32% over the previous month, beating the performance of the Business Services sector with its loss of 2.82%, and the S&P 500's gain of 0.71%.
The upcoming earnings release of Waste Management will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on January 28, 2026. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $1.95, signifying a 14.71% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $6.39 billion, up 8.44% from the year-ago period.
For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $7.51 per share and a revenue of $25.26 billion, representing changes of +3.87% and 0%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Waste Management. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.
Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.
The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.1% lower. Waste Management presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Investors should also note Waste Management's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 27.33. This represents no noticeable deviation compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 27.33.
It is also worth noting that WM currently has a PEG ratio of 2.54. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Waste Removal Services industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 2.27 as of yesterday's close.
The Waste Removal Services industry is part of the Business Services sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 157, this industry ranks in the bottom 36% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.
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Waste Management, Inc. (WM): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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