Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Shares Sold by Korea Investment CORP

Korea Investment CORP decreased its position in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 18.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 166,196 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 38,671 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP owned 0.06% of Waste Connections worth $28,516,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WCN. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in Waste Connections by 153.3% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 152 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Connections by 59.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Waste Connections Trading Down 0.6 %

WCN stock opened at $192.80 on Friday. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.34 and a 12-month high of $194.83. The business’s 50-day moving average is $187.14 and its 200 day moving average 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 cap of $49.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 80.67, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.81.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last issued 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 return on equity of 15.54% and a net margin of 6.92%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WCN shares. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Waste Connections from $196.00 to $192.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Waste Connections from $205.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $192.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $202.43.

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.