Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $202.8421.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WCN shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on Waste Connections in a report on Friday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $199.00 price target for the company. Barclays set a $180.00 price target on Waste Connections and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $218.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $208.00 price target (up from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $211.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Thursday, April 23rd.

Insider Transactions at Waste Connections

In other Waste Connections news, VP James Little sold 2,605 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.98, for a total value of $427,167.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 34,395 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,092.10. This represents a 7.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Jason Craft sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.59, for a total value of $234,885.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,145,703.99. The trade was a 4.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 17,605 shares of company stock worth $2,822,923 over the last 90 days. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Connections

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WCN. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 1,166.7% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 346.2% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Connections Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:WCN opened at $155.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.69. Waste Connections has a 1 year low of $146.89 and a 1 year high of $192.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.02, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $157.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $165.15.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.50 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.49% and a net margin of 10.97%.Waste Connections’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Waste Connections will post 5.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

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

Waste Connections Company 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.