Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Position Raised by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 81,897 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,998 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $14,361,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Waste Connections by 116.2% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Waste Connections in the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections in the first quarter worth approximately $43,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections in the second quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Sands Capital Management LLC grew its position in Waste Connections by 76.6% in the fourth quarter. Sands Capital Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on WCN. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $195.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $181.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $196.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $175.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.28.

Waste Connections Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE WCN opened at $179.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $181.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.29. Waste Connections, Inc. has a twelve month low of $126.12 and a twelve month high of $187.54. The stock has a market cap of $46.24 billion, a PE ratio of 58.19, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.72.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.07. Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.23% and a return on equity of 15.16%. The business had revenue of $2.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.84 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 7th were paid a $0.285 dividend. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 7th. Waste Connections’s payout ratio is presently 37.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robert Nielsen III sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were 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 owns 4,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $778,428.15. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Mary Anne Whitney sold 16,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total transaction of $2,902,215.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 48,899 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,706,466.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Robert Nielsen III sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.15, for a total transaction of $180,150.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $778,428.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,600 shares of company stock valued at $3,842,550 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.