Atb Cap Markets Issues Optimistic Estimate for WCN Earnings

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) – Stock analysts at Atb Cap Markets boosted their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Waste Connections in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, July 1st. Atb Cap Markets analyst C. Murray now expects that the business services provider will earn $1.26 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.19. The consensus estimate for Waste Connections’ current full-year earnings is $5.28 per share. Atb Cap Markets also issued estimates for Waste Connections’ Q4 2026 earnings at $1.52 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.94 EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on WCN. Melius Research upgraded shares of Waste Connections to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $213.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, June 9th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $192.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Waste Connections to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Waste Connections from $214.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, William Blair started coverage on Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $212.29.

Waste Connections Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of Waste Connections stock opened at $179.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $46.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. Waste Connections has a 12-month low of $169.36 and a 12-month high of $201.66. The business’s 50 day moving average is $191.41 and its 200-day moving average is $187.35.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.06. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 6.93%. The business had revenue of $2.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.04 earnings per share. Waste Connections’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th were issued a dividend of $0.315 per share. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 7th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Connections

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 153.3% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 152 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Waste Connections by 59.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 122.0% in the 1st quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 182 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oarsman Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 41.4% in the 4th quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 222 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.