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

Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $204.43.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WCN. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Waste Connections from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $218.00 to $209.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $192.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th.

Waste Connections Stock Up 0.6 %

WCN opened at $195.84 on Tuesday. Waste Connections has a 1 year low of $160.34 and a 1 year high of $201.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $189.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $183.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $50.60 billion, a PE ratio of 81.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.67.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.04). Waste Connections had a net margin of 6.92% and a return on equity of 15.54%. Sell-side analysts expect that Waste Connections will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.315 per share. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.72%.

Institutional Trading of Waste Connections

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 8.8% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Waste Connections by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 14,247 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,445,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 41.4% in the 4th quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 222 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of Waste Connections by 28.9% in the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 290 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Waste Connections by 59.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

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.