Recent Analysts’ Ratings Changes for Waste Connections (WCN)

A number of research firms have changed their ratings and price targets for Waste Connections (NYSE: WCN):

• 10/25/2024 – Waste Connections had its price target lowered by analysts at Raymond James from $208.00 to $205.00. They now have a “strong-buy” rating on the stock.
• 10/25/2024 – Waste Connections had its price target lowered by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $198.00 to $197.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 10/25/2024 – Waste Connections had its price target raised by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $199.00 to $201.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 10/25/2024 – Waste Connections had its price target lowered by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $198.00 to $196.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 10/25/2024 – Waste Connections had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus. They now have a $205.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $200.00.
• 10/21/2024 – Waste Connections had its price target raised by analysts at Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. from $191.00 to $194.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 10/9/2024 – Waste Connections was upgraded by analysts at Eight Capital to a “hold” rating.
• 10/4/2024 – Waste Connections is now covered by analysts at Scotiabank. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock.
• 10/3/2024 – Waste Connections had its price target raised by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $190.00 to $195.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.

Waste Connections Price Performance

WCN stock traded up $0.86 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $178.50. 346,195 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 877,123. The company has a market cap of $46.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.72. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12-month low of $129.31 and a 12-month high of $187.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $181.14 and its 200 day moving average is $175.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.81% and a return on equity of 15.43%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.17 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.84 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 7th will be paid a $0.315 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 7th. This is a positive change from Waste Connections’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robert Nielsen III sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.15, for a total value of $180,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $778,428.15. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. American Trust boosted its position in shares of Waste Connections by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Trust now owns 1,573 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Connections by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 529 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 8.8% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 916 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $161,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 5,966 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,047,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 12.5% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 852 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $149,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. 86.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.