EULAV Asset Management Sells 30,000 Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

EULAV Asset Management cut its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 590,713 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 30,000 shares during the period. Waste Connections comprises about 2.8% of EULAV Asset Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. EULAV Asset Management owned approximately 0.23% of Waste Connections worth $103,587,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Waste Connections by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,865 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $327,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its stake in Waste Connections by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 313,276 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $54,936,000 after buying an additional 24,546 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its stake in Waste Connections by 37.1% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 8,549 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,499,000 after buying an additional 2,315 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Waste Connections by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 3,932 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $690,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avalon Capital Management bought a new position in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $319,000. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

Shares of WCN stock opened at $155.29 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $158.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $165.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $39.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.51. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $146.89 and a 12 month high of $193.08.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.97% and a return on equity of 16.49%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th were given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 6th. Waste Connections’s payout ratio is currently 34.15%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Connections

In other news, SVP Eric Hansen sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.82, for a total value of $988,920.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 13,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,200,347. The trade was a 31.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP James Little sold 2,605 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.98, for a total transaction of $427,167.90. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 34,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,640,092.10. This represents a 7.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WCN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $212.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays set a $180.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $199.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank set a $197.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $205.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $203.35.

About Waste Connections

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.