Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Shares Sold by Osterweis Capital Management Inc.

Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 215,103 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 8,794 shares during the period. Waste Connections comprises 1.7% of Osterweis Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Osterweis Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $36,907,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 307.1% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,927,155 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $344,615,000 after acquiring an additional 1,453,733 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Waste Connections by 34.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 303,040 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $54,190,000 after purchasing an additional 77,466 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Waste Connections by 11.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 190,590 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,207,000 after purchasing an additional 19,496 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Connections during the third quarter worth $1,586,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at $188,000. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Waste Connections from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. CIBC cut their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $215.00 to $212.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $214.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. William Blair began coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $204.43.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

Waste Connections stock opened at $196.88 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $189.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $184.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52 week low of $160.34 and a 52 week high of $201.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.38, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.67.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.315 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.64%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.72%.

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.