WM Payout Ratio: current value, 10-year range and year-by-year history
Cash & Leverage
Payout Ratio History
WM Payout Ratio by year
Yearly range of WM’s payout ratio from 2016 to 2026. Over the full period it ranged from 37.2% to 73.1%, averaging 49.3%.
| Year | Low | Average | High | Year-end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 40.0% | 41.0% | 42.0% | 40.0% |
| 2025 | 47.4% | 57.0% | 67.6% | 47.4% |
| 2024 | 53.8% | 55.4% | 56.6% | 56.1% |
| 2023 | 62.0% | 68.6% | 73.1% | 62.0% |
| 2022 | 40.9% | 48.4% | 54.9% | 54.9% |
| 2021 | 37.2% | 38.7% | 40.5% | 39.7% |
| 2020 | 42.5% | 46.7% | 52.3% | 52.3% |
| 2019 | 42.6% | 45.2% | 48.1% | 42.6% |
| 2018 | 42.5% | 44.7% | 46.7% | 42.5% |
| 2017 | 41.6% | 43.8% | 45.3% | 44.5% |
| 2016 | 44.9% | 48.1% | 51.3% | 44.9% |
Get notified when WM Payout Ratio crosses a threshold
Free — one alert setup, notifications by push, Telegram, or Discord.
What fraction of free cash flow is paid out as dividends. More reliable than the earnings-based payout ratio because cash is harder to manipulate through accounting choices. Low ratio = room to grow the dividend and absorb an earnings dip. High ratio = dividend is consuming most of the cash generated.
TTM Dividends Per Share / (TTM FCF ÷ Shares) × 100%A steadily rising FCF payout ratio warrants scrutiny only if FCF itself is flat or falling — that means the company is paying out a larger slice of shrinking cash. A high but stable ratio in a capital-light business (e.g. consumer staples) can be perfectly sustainable.
- FCF can be lumpy: large one-off capex or working-capital swings distort a single year. Look at the multi-year trend rather than any single data point.
- Utilities and REITs naturally sustain 60–90% FCF payout ratios; industrials and tech companies typically run 20–50%. Always compare to sector context.
Unlock 10y, 15y, 20y, and 30y history with peer comparison and CSV export.