# Waste Management Inc. (WM) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-11-04. NYSE, United States. Sector: Industrials / Commercial Services. Price $234.67, market value $93.3 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 30.8×** (5-yr avg 31.2×, 3-yr avg 30.7×). Waste Management Inc. trades at 30.8× trailing earnings, close to its own five-year average of 31.2×. The Industrials median in the September 2026 study was 25.7×. Forward P/E is 26.2×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 3.6×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 3.6×.
- **Price / book: 9.5×**. The shares trade at 9.5× book value; most of the value is in earnings power and intangibles rather than the balance sheet.
- **EV / EBITDA: 11.9×**. Enterprise value is 11.9× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 4.0%** (5-yr avg 3.0%). Free cash flow equals 4.0% of the market value, above its five-year average of 3.0%, so the shares are cheaper on cash than they have usually been.
- **Earnings yield: 3.2%**. The inverse of the P/E: 3.2% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Operating margin: 18.4%**. 18.4% of revenue is left after running the business, a healthy level in most sectors.
- **Net margin: 10.7%**. 10.7% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 27.1%**. 27.1% on shareholders' equity is excellent if it is not driven by leverage; sustained above 20% usually signals a competitive advantage.
- **Return on invested capital: 36.1%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 36.1%: comfortably above what that capital costs.
- **Return on assets: 6.7%**. Each dollar of assets produces 6.7% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 14.2%** (3-yr 8.6%/yr, 5-yr 10.6%/yr). Revenue grew 14.2% over the last year, against 10.6% a year compounded over five years: growth is accelerating.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -1.6%** (3-yr 7.5%/yr, 5-yr 13.7%/yr). Earnings per share fell 1.6%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 17.7%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 17.7% a year over three years, keeping pace with earnings: the growth is real cash.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.07**. Debt is 0.07 times equity: a conservative balance sheet.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 0.1×**. It would take 0.1 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, within the comfortable range.
- **Current ratio: 0.89** (quick 0.89). Current liabilities exceed current assets, so the company depends on ongoing cash generation or refinancing to pay the next year's bills.
- **Altman Z-score: 2.71**. A Z-score of 2.71 is in the grey zone; not distressed, not clearly safe.
- **Piotroski F-score: 6/9**. 6 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 1.61%** ($3.66 per share, trailing). Waste Management Inc. yields 1.61%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 49%** (39% of free cash flow). 49% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 26**. 26 straight years of increases (the data covers 26 years, so this may be longer): a record very few companies hold.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 8.6%/yr** (1-yr 10.0%). The dividend has grown 8.6% a year over five years.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: buy** (25 analysts). 25 analysts cover Waste Management Inc.; the consensus is buy, with an average price target of $255.36 (+9% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 20.4%** (YTD 9.1%, 3-mo 5.0%). The shares are up 20.4% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -5.4%** (18.8% above the low). Trading 5% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 64**. An RSI of 64 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): -0.42** (volatility 21%). Beta of -0.42 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=WM · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/wm

Not investment advice.