Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) VP James Little Sells 2,000 Shares of Stock

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) VP James Little sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.22, for a total value of $370,440.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 32,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,000,201.90. This represents a 5.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Waste Connections Price Performance

NYSE WCN opened at $181.68 on Friday. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52 week low of $146.89 and a 52 week high of $187.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.10, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $163.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $163.43.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.06. Waste Connections had a net margin of 11.40% and a return on equity of 17.76%. The company had revenue of $2.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.60 billion. The company’s revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 5th will be issued a $0.3850 dividend. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Waste Connections’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 5th. Waste Connections’s payout ratio is presently 31.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WCN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $191.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $187.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $206.00 price objective on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $221.00 price objective (up from $218.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $203.22.

Institutional Trading of Waste Connections

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WCN. XXEC Inc. purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the second quarter worth about $164,870,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Waste Connections during the second quarter worth approximately $1,061,947,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Waste Connections during the second quarter valued at approximately $589,671,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Waste Connections during the second quarter valued at approximately $510,526,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Waste Connections during the second quarter valued at approximately $477,944,000. 86.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Waste Connections

Waste Connections, Inc is a North American provider of solid waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial and construction customers, offering scheduled and on-demand collection as well as waste management solutions tailored to municipalities and businesses.

Its operations include local collection fleets, transfer stations, recycling and resource-recovery facilities, and landfills. Waste Connections also provides non-hazardous oilfield waste services, including the collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste generated by energy-production activities.

Founded in 1997, Waste Connections has grown through a combination of internal development and acquisitions.