Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN Shares Bought by Fisher Funds Management LTD

Fisher Funds Management LTD grew its stake in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 23.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 196,508 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 36,895 shares during the period. Fisher Funds Management LTD’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $31,921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WCN. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Waste Connections by 346.2% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. 86.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Connections Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of WCN opened at $154.03 on Monday. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $146.89 and a 12 month high of $191.91. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $156.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $39.08 billion, a PE ratio of 37.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Waste Connections from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $199.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays set a $180.00 target price on Waste Connections and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $202.84.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Jason Craft sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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. This represents a 4.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Patrick James Shea sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.26, for a total transaction of $1,171,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 19,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,084,103.62. This trade represents a 27.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 17,605 shares of company stock valued at $2,822,923 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.