Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $202.43.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $196.00 to $192.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective 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. StockNews.com cut Waste Connections from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price 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.

Waste Connections Price Performance

Waste Connections stock opened at $193.07 on Friday. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $186.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $182.72. The stock has a market cap of $49.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 80.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.81. Waste Connections has a 12-month low of $160.34 and a 12-month high of $194.83.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 15.54% and a net margin of 6.92%. Equities analysts expect that Waste Connections will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Waste Connections by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 705 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 14,247 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,445,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. raised its position in Waste Connections by 41.4% in the fourth quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 222 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Waste Connections by 59.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Connections by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,562 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.