Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) Trading Up 0.4%

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)’s share price traded up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $165.42 and last traded at $165.27. 153,298 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 875,706 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.68.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $136.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Waste Connections from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $170.00 to $181.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.87.

Waste Connections Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market cap of $42.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.83, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $167.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.73.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.03. Waste Connections had a net margin of 9.51% and a return on equity of 14.42%. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 28th were issued a $0.285 dividend. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 27th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.51%.

Insider Activity at Waste Connections

In related news, Director Andrea E. Bertone sold 902 shares of Waste Connections stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.17, for a total value of $152,591.34. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Connections

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Waste Connections by 116.2% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Pacifica Partners Inc. bought a new position in Waste Connections in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

About Waste Connections

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.