Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN Shares Sold by OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 98.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 11,784 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,104,668 shares during the quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $1,914,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Waste Connections by 1,166.7% during 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 during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Waste Connections by 346.2% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

NYSE WCN opened at $172.93 on Thursday. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1 year low of $146.89 and a 1 year high of $191.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.49. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $162.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $163.21.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.15. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 10.86%.The company had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.63 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 6th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.73%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Connections

In other Waste Connections news, VP Patrick James Shea sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.26, for a total transaction of $1,171,950.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 19,737 shares in the company, valued at $3,084,103.62. This trade represents a 27.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Jason Craft sold 1,500 shares of the business’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 transaction of $234,885.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,145,703.99. The trade was a 4.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $210.00 to $195.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $211.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $180.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $208.00 price objective (up from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.42.

Waste Connections 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.