Sivia Capital Partners LLC Makes New $1.33 Million Investment in Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 7,562 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,326,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WCN. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Ronald J. Mittelstaedt purchased 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $152.24 per share, with a total value of $7,612,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 301,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,826,828.08. This represents a 19.92% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP James Little sold 2,605 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.98, for a total transaction of $427,167.90. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 34,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,640,092.10. This trade represents a 7.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Waste Connections Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE WCN opened at $150.87 on Thursday. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12-month low of $146.89 and a 12-month high of $193.62. The stock has a market cap of $38.28 billion, a PE ratio of 36.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.51. 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 50-day moving average of $158.15 and a 200 day moving average of $165.91.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.04. Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.97% and a return on equity of 16.49%. The company had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. Waste Connections’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is 34.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WCN shares. Barclays set a $180.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $218.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $199.00 price target for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $212.00 price objective on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections has a consensus 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.