Waste Management (WM) ended the recent trading session at $233.18, demonstrating a -2.46% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 0.89% for the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.74%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 1.29%.
The stock of garbage and recycling hauler has risen by 12.07% in the past month, leading the Business Services sector's gain of 4.27% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.63%.
Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Waste Management in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to go public on July 28, 2026. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $2, reflecting a 4.17% increase from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $6.71 billion, up 4.32% from the prior-year quarter.
For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $8.16 per share and revenue of $26.53 billion, which would represent changes of +8.8% and +5.26%, respectively, from the prior year.
Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Waste Management. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.
Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent 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, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.03% upward. Waste Management is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
In terms of valuation, Waste Management is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 29.31. This expresses a premium compared to the average Forward P/E of 27.37 of its industry.
It's also important to note that WM currently trades at a PEG ratio of 2.91. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. Waste Removal Services stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 2.62 based on yesterday's closing prices.
The Waste Removal Services industry is part of the Business Services sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 79, putting it in the top 33% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. 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.
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).