Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Acquires 14,265 Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. increased its holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 10.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 156,250 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,265 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $27,400,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. City Holding Co. bought a new position in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections during the third quarter valued at $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in Waste Connections during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in Waste Connections by 555.2% during the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Connections Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:WCN opened at $149.13 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $38.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $158.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.29. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1 year low of $148.84 and a 1 year high of $197.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.49% and a net margin of 10.97%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.5 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.15%.

Insider Activity at Waste Connections

In other news, CEO Ronald J. Mittelstaedt bought 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $152.24 per share, with a total value of $7,612,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 301,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,826,828.08. The trade was a 19.92% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP James Little sold 2,605 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.98, for a total transaction of $427,167.90. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 34,395 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,092.10. This trade represents a 7.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WCN has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $218.00 price objective (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $211.00 price objective on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waste Connections in a report on Friday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $199.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank set a $197.00 price objective on Waste Connections and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays set a $180.00 price objective on Waste Connections and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $203.35.

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.