Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) Shares Down 2.2%

Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) fell 2.2% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $160.85 and last traded at $162.47. 413,927 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 897,002 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.18.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on WCN. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Waste Connections from $195.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Atb Cap Markets lowered Waste Connections from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Waste Connections from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Waste Connections from $153.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Waste Connections from $146.50 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.33.

Waste Connections Stock Down 1.0 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $168.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $152.10. The company has a market cap of $42.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 9.70%. Waste Connections’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be given a $0.285 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 7th. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. Waste Connections’s payout ratio is currently 37.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Connections

In other Waste Connections news, Director Andrea E. Bertone sold 902 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.17, for a total value of $152,591.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Connections

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Waste Connections by 116.2% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Waste Connections Company Profile

Waste Connections, Inc provides non-hazardous waste collection, transfer, disposal, and resource recovery services in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services to residential, commercial, municipal, industrial, and exploration and production (E&P) customers; landfill disposal services; and recycling services for various recyclable materials, including compost, cardboard, mixed paper, plastic containers, glass bottles, and ferrous and aluminum metals.