WM · Utilities

WASTE MANAGEMENT INC

Ranked earnings events from SEC filings, earnings calls, press releases and news. Full Picture: everything published this earnings window

News · 2026-11-07

• 2026 Revenue GuidanceImportance 38 · Surprise 60
  Third-party reporting says Waste Management announced optimistic revenue guidance for 2026. The digest does not provide a revenue target or quantify the guidance change. It identifies no specific segment or geographic…

News · 2026-11-05

• Leadership TransitionImportance 31 · Surprise 42
  The report says John Morris is set to succeed Jim Fish as CEO in early January. This is an announced senior leadership transition at Waste Management. The article does not provide further details about the transition…
• Guidance / OutlookImportance 17 · Surprise 24
  The report says Waste Management maintained its 2026 outlook. It attributes this to the company’s continued outlook despite fuel-cost challenges and softer waste volumes. The article provides no revised revenue,…

News · 2026-11-03

• Revenue Performance and MixImportance 44 · Surprise 60
  Waste Management reported Q3 2026 sales of US$6.846 billion and net income of US$820 million. The company beat earnings expectations, although the digest does not specify the amount of the beat. Waste Management raised…
• Guidance / OutlookImportance 44 · Surprise 60
  Third-party reporting says Waste Management raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance after reporting Q3 2026 sales of US$6.846 billion. The report does not provide the revised guidance amount or quantify the expected…

News · 2026-11-01

• Revenue Performance and MixImportance 37 · Surprise 14
  Waste Management reported Q3 2026 sales of $6.85 billion, up 6.3% year over year. The results exceeded Wall Street’s revenue expectations. Non-GAAP earnings were $2.15 per share, 1.4% below analysts’ consensus estimates.
• Guidance / OutlookImportance 36 · Surprise 24
  Waste Management expects full-year 2026 revenue to be around $26.38 billion. The company’s revenue outlook was described as close to analysts’ estimates. The reported outlook follows Q3 2026 sales of $6.85 billion, up…
• 2026 Revenue GuidanceImportance 36 · Surprise 24
  Waste Management expects full-year 2026 revenue of approximately $26.38 billion. The outlook is described as close to analysts’ estimates. The reported guidance exceeds the stated materiality threshold of $205 million.

News · 2026-10-31

• Quarterly Earnings PerformanceImportance 9 · Surprise 6
  Waste Management reported third-quarter revenue of $6.85 billion. Net profit for the quarter was $820 million. The report provided no year-over-year or sequential comparison and no segment revenue breakdown.

News · 2026-10-30

• Segment ProfitabilityImportance 40 · Surprise 56
  Waste Management’s healthcare operating EBITDA rose 33% in Q3 2026. The company also reported meaningful growth in its healthcare and sustainability segments. Higher risk-management costs and persistent volume softness…
• Guidance / OutlookImportance 40 · Surprise 42
  Third-party reporting said Waste Management kept its 2026 outlook intact after its third-quarter results. The report also said the company reaffirmed guidance toward the high end of its range and raised full-year…
• Healthcare Solutions GrowthImportance 40 · Surprise 56
  Waste Management reported meaningful growth from its healthcare and sustainability segments in Q3. CEO James Fish Jr. said healthcare operating EBITDA rose 33%, exceeding the threshold for inclusion regardless of…
• Pricing and Volume TrendsImportance 20 · Surprise 24
  Management attributed Q3 resilience to disciplined pricing in Waste Management’s core collection and disposal business. Persistent volume softness in residential and commercial segments weighed on overall…

10-Q · 2026-10-28

• Quarterly Dividend DeclarationImportance 74 · Surprise 40
  Cash dividends paid increased 14% to $1,141 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, from $1,001 million in 2025. The increase primarily reflected a rise in the quarterly per-share dividend from $0.825 in…
• Debt and Liquidity PositionImportance 61 · Surprise 32
  Total debt was $23,370 million at September 30, 2026, compared with $22,907 million at December 31, 2025; long-term debt was $21,846 million. Approximately $4.4 billion of debt matures within the next 12 months,…
• Diesel Price and Fuel SurchargesImportance 57 · Surprise 64
  Energy surcharge and mandated-fee revenue increased $112 million in the third quarter and $234 million in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the prior-year periods. The increases were primarily attributed to…
• Capital Expenditure ProgramImportance 56 · Surprise 58
  For the nine months ended September 30, 2026, capital expenditures were $1,937 million, down from $2,339 million in the prior-year period, a decrease of more than 10%. Management attributed the reduction to lower…
• Impairment ChargesImportance 53 · Surprise 82
  Third-quarter 2026 included an $18 million impairment charge to accelerate closure of a landfill in the East Tier. Third-quarter 2025 included a $152 million impairment for suspension of a plastic-film and wrap…
• Acquisitions and DivestituresImportance 51 · Surprise 64
  Cash spending on acquisitions related to the solid waste and recycling businesses fell 75% to $102 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, from $403 million in 2025. Of the 2026 acquisition spending, $89…
• Operating Margin DriversImportance 47 · Surprise 48
  Third-quarter income from operations increased $290 million to $1,279 million, or 18.7% of revenue, from $989 million, or 15.3%, in 2025. Nine-month operating income rose to $3,645 million from $3,153 million, lifting…
• Tax LegislationImportance 46 · Surprise 42
  The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides tax incentives for renewable energy production and other climate actions. The Company expects cumulative Section 48 investment tax credits of $400 million to $425 million;…
• Stock Repurchase ProgramImportance 46 · Surprise 42
  Waste Management paid $1,583 million for common stock repurchases during the nine months ended September 30, 2026. The company made no share repurchases in the comparable 2025 period. The filing directs readers to the…
• Revenue Performance and MixImportance 43 · Surprise 32
  Third-quarter 2026 revenue was $6,846 million, up $403 million (6.3%) from $6,443 million in the prior-year quarter; nine-month revenue rose 4.6%, from $18,891 million to $19,757 million. Collection and Disposal…
• Operating Cash Flow and Free Cash FlowImportance 41 · Surprise 48
  Third-quarter net cash provided by operating activities increased $48 million to $1,640 million from $1,592 million in 2025. Free cash flow rose $164 million to $985 million from $821 million, reflecting higher…
• Capital AllocationImportance 37 · Surprise 6
  Waste Management allocated $957 million of available cash to shareholders through dividends and common-stock repurchases in the third quarter of 2026. The company said operating cash flow supports dividend payments,…
• Recycling Commodity PricingImportance 35 · Surprise 48
  Average market prices for single-stream recycled commodities increased 20% in the third quarter of 2026 but decreased 7% for the first nine months, compared with the prior-year periods. Recycling Processing and Sales…
• Operating Expense TrendsImportance 33 · Surprise 32
  Selling, general and administrative expense declined $10 million in the third quarter, to $655 million from $665 million, and fell to 9.6% of revenue from 10.3%. Nine-month expense was $2,045 million, compared with…
• Segment ProfitabilityImportance 31 · Surprise 32
  Collection and Disposal operating income increased 5.0% in the third quarter and 6.5% for the first nine months of 2026, supported by pricing, efficiency improvements, and lower landfill impairment charges than in…
• Products and TechnologyImportance 31 · Surprise 42
  The company is automating and optimizing service delivery, with a focus on customer experience, recycling, and residential collection to reduce labor dependency and expand digital self-service. Recycling facility…
• Market Demand TrendsImportance 25 · Surprise 32
  Company-wide revenues from volume, excluding acquisitions, divestitures, and Healthcare Solutions, increased $53 million, or 0.8%, in the third quarter and $43 million, or 0.2%, in the first nine months of 2026.…
• Customer DynamicsImportance 25 · Surprise 32
  The company intentionally shed lower-margin residential collection business, contributing to lower collection volumes. Healthcare Solutions’ revenues were relatively unchanged in the third quarter and decreased $42…
• Income Tax Rate ChangesImportance 24 · Surprise 30
  Third-quarter 2026 income tax expense was $224 million at an effective rate of 21.5%, compared with $172 million at 22.2% in the prior-year quarter. Nine-month tax expense increased to $630 million from $524 million,…
• Competition and Market PositionImportance 10 · Surprise 6
  Waste Management reports intense competition from governmental, quasi-governmental, and private service providers, based primarily on pricing and especially affecting residential services. Competitor actions and…
• SeasonalityImportance 10 · Surprise 6
  Waste Management’s operating revenues and volumes typically increase during the summer months, with the seasonal uplift reflected in second- and third-quarter results. Severe storms, prolonged inclement weather, or…
• Inflationary Cost PressuresImportance 10 · Surprise 6
  The company identifies inflation, interest rates, employment trends and supply chain reliability as sources of uncertainty in its financial outlook. It seeks to mitigate inflationary costs through pricing, cost…

Earnings call · 2026-10-27

• Capital Expenditures ProgramImportance 64 · Surprise 40
  Capital spending declined by more than 17% year over year in the first nine months of 2026, reflecting normalized collection-vehicle investment and lower sustainability spending as the planned investment program neared…
• Operating Cash Flow and Free Cash FlowImportance 58 · Surprise 56
  Operating cash flow increased 12% in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Free cash flow exceeded $3 billion, up more than 42%, with operating EBITDA conversion above 50%. Management…
• Guidance / OutlookImportance 54 · Surprise 24
  Management expected full-year operating EBITDA to remain within the range established at the beginning of 2026, with revenue and free cash flow at the high end of their prior ranges. Full-year SG&A was expected to be…
• Revenue Performance and MixImportance 49 · Surprise 32
  Third-quarter revenue grew 6.3% year over year, while core price was 5.8% and core price and yield were tracking toward the high end of full-year guidance. Collection and disposal volume was modestly negative;…
• Segment ProfitabilityImportance 46 · Surprise 56
  Operating EBITDA grew 5.8% overall in the third quarter, with growth in every operating segment. Health Care Solutions operating EBITDA increased 33%, alongside revenue growth of 3.7%. Recycling Processing & Sales…
• Diesel Price and Fuel SurchargesImportance 46 · Surprise 56
  For Q4, management assumed diesel prices would be about 40% higher than in Q4 of 2025, at a little over $5.50 per gallon. It said increased fuel costs are also appearing in third-party costs and that its fuel surcharge…
• Acquisitions and DivestituresImportance 40 · Surprise 42
  WM completed $239 million of collection and disposal tuck-in acquisitions in the first nine months of 2026 and expected to close another $140 million in the fourth quarter. The company also signed a $250 million…
• Capital Return ProgramImportance 38 · Surprise 24
  WM allocated more than 90% of its free cash flow to shareholder returns in the first nine months of 2026. It repurchased $1.58 billion of shares and paid $1.14 billion in dividends during that period. Management…
• Pricing and Input CostsImportance 38 · Surprise 24
  Core price was 5.8% in the quarter, while yield in collection and disposal was 3.4%. Management said the core price-to-cost spread had generally been in the low-60% to 70% range, with collection around the mid-60s;…
• Operating Expense TrendsImportance 36 · Surprise 40
  Company SG&A expense improved 70 basis points year over year to 9.3% of revenue in the third quarter. Management attributed the improvement to disciplined cost management and continued synergy capture from Health Care…
• Strategic InitiativesImportance 34 · Surprise 42
  Management said it is evaluating technology to reduce reliance on labor amid a long-term labor shortage, including automated side loaders and Caterpillar pilots of remotely operated heavy equipment. The pilots are…
• Operating Margin DriversImportance 31 · Surprise 32
  Third-quarter operating EBITDA margin was 31%, with company operating expenses remaining below 60% of revenue despite a 70-basis-point fuel-cost headwind. Favorable price-to-cost spread in collection and disposal added…
• Volume and Demand TrendsImportance 31 · Surprise 32
  Collection and disposal volume was modestly negative, with residential volume down 2.6% in the quarter versus 3.5% year to date as intentional customer shedding continued to moderate. Industrial roll-off volume was…
• Renewable Energy OutlookImportance 26 · Surprise 24
  WM added a renewable natural gas facility in New York during the quarter, bringing the number completed since 2022 to 18, and expected another facility to come online in the fourth quarter with the final plant expected…
• Regulatory RiskImportance 26 · Surprise 24
  Management said PFAS rules in the U.S. and Canada are not fully formulated and could create a cost headwind. It believes landfill-related PFAS costs can be passed through to customers and said regulation could also…
• Capital AllocationImportance 26 · Surprise 24
  Management reported that internalization reached just over 72% in the quarter, near record levels and approaching the historical mid-70% range. Higher recycling volumes directed to WM recycling plants and routing…
• Customer DynamicsImportance 25 · Surprise 32
  Management attributed part of commercial volume weakness to national-account broker decisions made in the prior year and expected to lap those losses around the end of the first quarter. The company’s commercial churn…
• Competition and Pricing PressureImportance 25 · Surprise 24
  Management identified landfill and transportation pricing as priorities, citing the strategic advantage of WM’s post-collection assets and increased landfill operating costs. California costs were expected to rise with…
• Technology-Driven Operating EfficiencyImportance 23 · Surprise 24
  WM uses smart-truck technology to identify service overages and is continuing to enhance those capabilities. Management also cited employee health-and-safety tools, routing algorithms and NBO technology in industrial…
• Macroeconomic Factors ImpactImportance 20 · Surprise 24
  Management attributed some landfill volume softness, including construction and demolition activity, to conditions in the broader economy. It also said the macro environment is affecting business formation in the…
• Healthcare Volume TrendsImportance 20 · Surprise 24
  Management said volume trends are improving in both traditional health care, including medical waste, and secure information destruction, while stopping short of identifying when either would return to positive volume.…
• Debt and Liquidity PositionImportance 13 · Surprise 6
  WM ended the third quarter of 2026 at 2.92 times leverage, within its target range of 2.5 to 3 times. Management said strong cash generation, disciplined capital allocation, and continued balance-sheet focus supported…

8-K · 2026-10-27

• Market Demand TrendsImportance 25 · Surprise 32
  Collection and Disposal volume declined 0.4% in the third quarter of 2026, or 0.5% on a workday-adjusted basis. Commercial volume fell 1.3% and residential volume fell 2.6% on a workday-adjusted basis. WM attributed…
• Revenue Performance and MixImportance 24 · Surprise 14
  Third-quarter 2026 revenue was $6.846 billion, up 6.3% from $6.443 billion, with 5.8% core price growth and 3.4% Collection and Disposal yield growth. Collection and Disposal revenue increased to $5.579 billion from…
• Operating Margin DriversImportance 18 · Surprise 14
  Third-quarter adjusted operating EBITDA increased 5.8% to $2.121 billion, while adjusted operating EBITDA margin declined 10 basis points year over year to 31.0%. Favorable Collection and Disposal price-to-cost spread…