Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN Shares Sold by Copeland Capital Management LLC

Copeland Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 4.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 103,064 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,953 shares during the quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $18,119,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Connections during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Caldwell Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the second quarter worth $49,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in Waste Connections in the second quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA bought a new position in Waste Connections during the 2nd quarter valued at $70,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Waste Connections

In related news, Director Edward E. Guillet sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.44, for a total value of $1,569,960.00. Following the sale, the director owned 14,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,596,190.52. This trade represents a 37.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WCN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $210.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up from $215.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays reaffirmed a “negative” rating on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Waste Connections from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Connections currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $208.37.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

Shares of WCN stock opened at $178.60 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $45.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.42, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a 50 day moving average of $172.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.31. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52 week low of $163.27 and a 52 week high of $201.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.06. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.07% and a net margin of 6.65%.The business had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.35 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 5th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Waste Connections’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 5th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.33%.

Waste Connections Profile

Waste Connections (NYSE: WCN) is a North American integrated waste services company that provides a range of solid waste and environmental services to municipal, commercial, industrial and residential customers. The company offers collection, transportation, transfer, disposal and recycling services, and operates an extensive network of transfer stations and disposal facilities. Waste Connections positions itself as a provider of infrastructure-driven waste solutions across many regions of the United States and Canada.

The company’s operating activities include routine curbside and commercial collection, roll-off and container services, operation of landfills and transfer stations, and recycling and resource recovery programs.