Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) Stock Price Up 0.4%

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)’s share price shot up 0.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $165.42 and last traded at $165.27. 153,298 shares were traded 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on WCN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Waste Connections from $153.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. CIBC increased their price target on Waste Connections from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Waste Connections from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Waste Connections from $195.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Waste Connections from $166.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.87.

Waste Connections Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a market capitalization of $42.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.75, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $167.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $151.05.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.03. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 14.42% and a net margin of 9.51%. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. Waste Connections’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Andrea E. Bertone sold 902 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.17, for a total transaction of $152,591.34. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WCN. Pacifica Partners Inc. bought a new position in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 116.2% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Headinvest LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Connections Company Profile

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.