Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Purchases 239 Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,575 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WCN. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections during the third quarter worth $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections during the third quarter worth $41,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections during the first quarter worth $43,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections during the second quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC boosted its position in Waste Connections by 3,885.7% during the second quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 279 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Waste Connections Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE WCN opened at $179.38 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $46.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.28, a PEG ratio of 2.97 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 has a 50-day moving average price of $180.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $175.85.

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

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.315 per share. This is an increase from Waste Connections’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 7th. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. Waste Connections’s payout ratio is presently 31.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WCN. Raymond James dropped their target price on Waste Connections from $208.00 to $205.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank began coverage on Waste Connections in a report on Friday, October 4th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $196.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Waste Connections from $199.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Eight Capital raised Waste Connections to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Waste Connections from $198.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Six 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.