Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Shares Acquired by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 169,450 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $29,055,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at $552,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,503,000. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Waste Connections by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 303,040 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $54,190,000 after purchasing an additional 77,466 shares in the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 65.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,034 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 1,202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 785.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,682 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $803,000 after purchasing an additional 4,153 shares during the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

WCN stock opened at $184.26 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $182.53. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52 week low of $160.34 and a 52 week high of $194.83. The stock has a market cap of $47.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.04). Waste Connections had a net margin of 6.92% and a return on equity of 15.54%. Research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.315 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WCN. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $192.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Waste Connections from $196.00 to $192.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Waste Connections from $214.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 price target (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Waste Connections from $205.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.43.

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.