Core Insights - Waste Management (WM) is the largest trash hauler in North America, with a market cap of $86.9 billion, and has seen its share price increase over 375% in the last decade [2][4]. Industry Overview - The trash industry is growing due to the increasing North American population, leading to more waste generation [3]. - The industry is dominated by three major companies: Waste Management, Republic Services ($67.3 billion), and Waste Connections ($44.7 billion), which control the majority of the market [4]. Business Stability - Waste Management benefits from low customer churn, which is below 10%, due to high barriers to entry such as limited landfill space and the need for specialized trucks for municipal contracts [5]. Dividend Performance - Waste Management has a strong history of dividend increases, with a notable 10% increase in 2025, supported by reliable cash flow from long-term contracts [6]. - The company expects free cash flow for 2025 to be between $2.8 billion and $2.9 billion, which comfortably covers its projected dividend payouts of $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion [7]. - Although the current dividend yield is 1.49%, which is low historically, the dividend has increased by over 114% in the last decade, while the share price has risen by 305% [8].

Core Insights - Republic Services reported $4.01 billion in revenue for Q1 2025, a year-over-year increase of 3.8% and an EPS of $1.58 compared to $1.45 a year ago, with a revenue surprise of -0.99% and an EPS surprise of +3.95% [1] Revenue Performance - Environmental solutions revenue was $466 million, slightly above the estimate of $465.80 million, reflecting a +6.1% year-over-year change [4] - Total collection revenue was $2.74 billion, below the estimate of $2.78 billion, with a year-over-year change of +3% [4] - Small-container collection revenue was $1.24 billion, matching the estimate, with a +4.5% year-over-year change [4] - Large-container collection revenue was $739 million, below the estimate of $773.91 million, with a +0.9% year-over-year change [4] - Other collection revenue was $18 million, slightly below the estimate of $18.04 million, with a +1.7% year-over-year change [4] - Other non-core revenue was $100 million, exceeding the estimate of $95.94 million, with a +7.6% year-over-year change [4] - Environmental solutions, net revenue was $449 million, below the estimate of $461.65 million, with a +6.1% year-over-year change [4] - Transfer revenue was $424 million, below the estimate of $449.22 million, with a +1.1% year-over-year change [4] - Landfill revenue was $723 million, below the estimate of $753.45 million, with a +2.6% year-over-year change [4] - Recycling processing and commodity sales revenue was $108 million, exceeding the estimate of $97.65 million, with a +13.1% year-over-year change [4] - Residential collection revenue was $743 million, slightly below the estimate of $748.33 million, with a +2.7% year-over-year change [4] Stock Performance - Shares of Republic Services returned +1.5% over the past month, outperforming the Zacks S&P 500 composite, which changed -5.1% [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating potential performance in line with the broader market in the near term [3]