Waste Management (WM) Up 5.9% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Continue?

Core Insights - Waste Management (WM) reported disappointing Q3 2025 results, with earnings and revenues missing consensus estimates [2] - The stock has seen a 5.9% increase since the last earnings report, outperforming the S&P 500 [1] Financial Performance - Adjusted earnings were $1.98 per share, missing estimates by 1.5% but up 1% year-over-year [2] - Total revenues reached $6.4 billion, slightly missing estimates but growing 14.9% from the previous year [2] - Collection segment revenues were $3.9 billion, a 3.5% increase year-over-year, but below the estimated $4.1 billion [3] - Landfill segment revenues increased 7.8% to $995 million, surpassing the estimate of $986.5 million [3] - Transfer segment revenues rose 8.5% to $396 million, beating the estimate of $391.5 million [3] - Recycling Processing and Sales segment revenues declined 13.9% to $372 million, missing the estimate of $432.3 million [3] - Renewable Energy revenues were $115 million, up 32.2% year-over-year, exceeding the estimate of $103 million [4] - Adjusted operating EBITDA was $2 billion, missing the estimate of $1.9 billion but up 15.1% year-over-year [5] - Cash generated from operating activities was $1.6 billion, with capital expenditures of $635 million and free cash flow of $821 million [6] Future Outlook - WM expects revenues of $25.275 billion for 2025 and adjusted operating EBITDA between $7.475 billion and $7.625 billion [7] - Recent estimates have shown a downward trend, indicating a potential shift in investor sentiment [8][11] Industry Context - WM is part of the Zacks Waste Removal Services industry, where Waste Connections (WCN) reported revenues of $2.46 billion, a year-over-year increase of 5.1% [12] - WCN's expected earnings for the current quarter are $1.30 per share, reflecting a year-over-year change of 12.1% [13]