Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) VP James Little Sells 2,605 Shares of Stock

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) VP James Little sold 2,605 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.98, for a total value of $427,167.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 34,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,640,092.10. This represents a 7.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Waste Connections Price Performance

Waste Connections stock opened at $163.63 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $41.76 billion, a PE ratio of 39.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.61. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.90 and a 12 month high of $199.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $164.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.61.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.49% and a net margin of 10.97%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.13 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.49 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Waste Connections

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 55.7% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,991,112 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $350,603,000 after buying an additional 711,990 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Waste Connections by 19.5% during the third quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 163,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,780,000 after purchasing an additional 26,684 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,908,000. Fisher Funds Management LTD grew its stake in Waste Connections by 51.2% during the third quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD now owns 88,336 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,529,000 after purchasing an additional 29,925 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Waste Connections by 770.4% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 57,519 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,112,000 after purchasing an additional 50,911 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on WCN shares. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $208.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $211.00 target price on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Scotiabank set a $197.00 target price on Waste Connections and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $212.00 target price on Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $218.00 target price (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $203.35.

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.