Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $15.35 Million Stock Position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. decreased its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 85,839 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 8,190 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $15,349,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup increased their price target on Waste Connections from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Eight Capital upgraded Waste Connections to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Waste Connections from $198.00 to $196.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Waste Connections from $198.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $195.56.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Connections stock opened at $189.87 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $49.00 billion, a PE ratio of 52.16, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.72. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $132.15 and a 12 month high of $190.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $181.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.74.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.05. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 15.43% and a net margin of 10.81%. The business had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.84 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 7th were paid a $0.315 dividend. This is an increase from Waste Connections’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 7th. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.66%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.62%.

Waste Connections Company Profile

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.