William Blair reiterates outperform rating on Waste Management stock

Published 25/06/2025, 14:50
William Blair reiterates outperform rating on Waste Management stock

Investing.com - William Blair maintained its Outperform rating on Waste Management (NYSE:WM) on Wednesday, citing strong free cash flow growth potential. According to InvestingPro data, WM has demonstrated its market strength with a 10.8% revenue growth in the last twelve months and maintains a "GOOD" overall financial health score.

The research firm projects Waste Management could achieve over $4 billion in free cash flow by 2027, equivalent to approximately $10 per share, suggesting more than 20% stock upside potential to $280-$285 per share over the next 12-18 months.

William Blair noted that Waste Management currently trades at a price-to-free cash flow multiple of around 28 times, which represents a 10% discount to the current solid waste peer average of 31 times 2026 P/FCF.

Based on William Blair’s 2026 estimates, Waste Management shares trade at 14 times EBITDA and 25 times P/FCF (excluding sustainability capital expenditures), positioning the stock at a discount compared to other public solid waste companies on both metrics.

The firm identified sustainability investments and the execution of the Stericycle (NASDAQ:SRCL) acquisition as additional medium-term upside catalysts for Waste Management, reinforcing its view of the company as a "consistent free cash flow growth compounder."

In other recent news, Waste Management Inc. reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2025, missing both earnings per share (EPS) and revenue forecasts. The company posted an EPS of $1.58, falling short of the anticipated $1.69, and revenue reached $6.02 billion, below the forecasted $6.15 billion. Despite this, Waste Management demonstrated a significant year-over-year increase in operating EBITDA by 12%. In another development, JPMorgan analyst Tami Zakaria upgraded Waste Management’s stock rating from Neutral to Overweight and raised the price target to $277, citing expectations for high single-digit revenue and EBITDA growth over the next five years. Additionally, Raymond (NSE:RYMD) James adjusted its price target for Waste Management shares to $255, maintaining an Outperform rating, while emphasizing the company’s sustainable projects. Waste Management also announced the appointment of John J. Morris, Jr. as the new President, aligning with its People First strategy. Furthermore, shareholders approved the election of nine directors and the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025.

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