Tranquility Partners LLC Lowers Position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Tranquility Partners LLC cut its position in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,296 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 59 shares during the quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $737,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in Waste Connections by 58.0% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 226 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. 86.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Connections Price Performance

WCN stock opened at $189.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $48.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $179.45 and its 200 day moving average is $181.43. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52 week low of $153.07 and a 52 week high of $194.83. 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 quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.04). Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.81% and a return on equity of 15.43%. Research analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.315 per share. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. Waste Connections’s payout ratio is 34.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $192.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $205.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Waste Connections from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Waste Connections from $198.00 to $196.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $196.00 to $192.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.06.

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.