Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Shares Acquired by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 169,099 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,409 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $30,260,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the third quarter worth $41,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the first quarter valued at about $43,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections during the second quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WCN opened at $193.18 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $49.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.07, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.72. Waste Connections, Inc. has a one year low of $132.15 and a one year high of $194.83. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $182.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $178.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77.

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

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 7th were paid a $0.315 dividend. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 7th. This is a positive change from Waste Connections’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Waste Connections’s payout ratio is 34.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WCN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Eight Capital raised Waste Connections to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Raymond James decreased their price target on Waste Connections from $208.00 to $205.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, October 4th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $195.56.

Waste Connections 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.