Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Stake Cut by Sei Investments Co.

Sei Investments Co. decreased its holdings in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 62.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 204,052 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 345,258 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.08% of Waste Connections worth $35,011,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 153.3% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Waste Connections by 59.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

NYSE:WCN opened at $190.88 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $185.88 and a 200-day moving average of $182.65. Waste Connections, Inc. has a twelve month low of $160.34 and a twelve month high of $194.83. The firm has a market cap of $49.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.81.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (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%. Analysts forecast that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a $0.315 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.66%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waste Connections from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. CIBC reduced their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $215.00 to $212.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $205.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on Waste Connections from $196.00 to $192.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Waste Connections has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.43.

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.