Aureus Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

Aureus Asset Management LLC grew its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 17.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 271,386 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 39,482 shares during the period. Waste Connections makes up 3.0% of Aureus Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Aureus Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $47,590,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Waste Connections by 130.4% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 469,105 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $82,262,000 after buying an additional 265,517 shares in the last quarter. BNB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth about $1,469,000. Visualize Group LP increased its position in Waste Connections by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Visualize Group LP now owns 228,759 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,115,000 after purchasing an additional 620 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC increased its position in Waste Connections by 46.2% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 170,373 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,877,000 after purchasing an additional 53,822 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Waste Connections Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE WCN opened at $154.97 on Thursday. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $146.89 and a 12 month high of $191.91. The company has a 50-day moving average of $157.07 and a 200-day moving average of $164.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $39.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Connections

In other news, VP Patrick James Shea sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 19,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,084,103.62. The trade was a 27.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP James Little sold 2,605 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.98, for a total value of $427,167.90. Following the sale, the vice president owned 34,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,640,092.10. The trade was a 7.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,605 shares of company stock worth $2,822,923. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WCN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Waste Connections from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings cut Waste Connections from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $218.00 price objective (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $208.00 price objective (up from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $199.00 price objective for the company. Three research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $202.84.

About Waste Connections

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.