13,887 Shares in Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN Acquired by Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 13,887 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,315,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 1,166.7% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 346.2% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Connections Trading Up 0.4%

WCN opened at $166.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market cap of $41.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.05, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.48. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $146.89 and a 12 month high of $188.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $165.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $163.21.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.15. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 10.86%.The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.29 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 6th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 6th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Connections

In other news, SVP Robert Michael Cloninger sold 2,811 shares of Waste Connections stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.02, for a total value of $480,737.22. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,995,119.32. The trade was a 19.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Patrick James Shea sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.26, for a total transaction of $1,171,950.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 19,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,084,103.62. This trade represents a 27.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,811 shares of company stock valued at $1,887,572. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $211.00 price objective on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $199.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $210.00 to $195.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.89.

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.