Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Shares Sold by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL lessened its stake in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 81,747 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,625 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $14,026,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WCN. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Waste Connections by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 705 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Waste Connections by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 14,247 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,445,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Waste Connections by 59.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in Waste Connections by 58.0% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 226 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC raised its stake in Waste Connections by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 3,943 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $676,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WCN shares. StockNews.com lowered Waste Connections from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $214.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. CIBC lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $215.00 to $212.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Waste Connections currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.43.

Waste Connections Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of WCN opened at $192.80 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $187.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $182.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 80.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.81. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1-year low of $160.34 and a 1-year high of $194.83.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.04). Waste Connections had a net margin of 6.92% and a return on equity of 15.54%. Analysts expect that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a $0.315 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.72%.

About Waste Connections

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.