Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Position Decreased by UniSuper Management Pty Ltd

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd reduced its holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 16.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 153.3% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 152 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 59.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

WCN stock opened at $195.05 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $187.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $182.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $160.34 and a 12 month high of $195.64.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.04). Waste Connections had a return on equity of 15.54% and a net margin of 6.92%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.315 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.65%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on WCN shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Waste Connections from $214.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $196.00 to $192.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waste Connections from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Waste Connections from $205.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.43.

Waste Connections Company 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.