V Square Quantitative Management LLC Raises Stake in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 19.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 681 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 109 shares during the quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at $5,214,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in Waste Connections by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 4,603 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $687,000 after acquiring an additional 647 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $324,000. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Connections in the 4th quarter worth approximately $452,000. Finally, Tranquility Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC now owns 4,486 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $670,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Waste Connections

In other Waste Connections news, SVP Robert Nielsen III sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.00, for a total transaction of $169,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 5,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $899,249. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Waste Connections news, CFO Mary Anne Whitney sold 16,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total value of $2,902,215.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 48,899 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,706,466.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Robert Nielsen III sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.00, for a total value of $169,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $899,249. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,600 shares of company stock worth $4,011,550. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on WCN. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $196.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $189.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Waste Connections from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 18th. Finally, CIBC boosted their price objective on Waste Connections from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “outperformer” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.28.

Waste Connections Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Waste Connections stock traded up $0.48 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $182.04. The stock had a trading volume of 18,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 901,628. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $176.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.37. The firm has a market cap of $46.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12-month low of $126.12 and a 12-month high of $182.99.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.22 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 15.16% and a net margin of 10.23%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.02 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.285 per share. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 7th. Waste Connections’s payout ratio is 37.01%.

Waste Connections 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.