Zacks Research Brokers Decrease Earnings Estimates for WCN

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) – Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Waste Connections in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, November 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings of $1.19 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.23. The consensus estimate for Waste Connections’ current full-year earnings is $5.28 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Waste Connections’ Q2 2026 earnings at $1.38 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $5.59 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.32 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.65 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.31 EPS.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.06. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.07% and a net margin of 6.65%.The company had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.35 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Waste Connections has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS.

WCN has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Atb Cap Markets upgraded Waste Connections from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $199.00 to $196.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $221.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $210.00.

Waste Connections Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of WCN stock opened at $168.87 on Wednesday. Waste Connections has a fifty-two week low of $163.27 and a fifty-two week high of $201.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.23 billion, a PE ratio of 70.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $172.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.94.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 5th. This is an increase from Waste Connections’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Edward E. Guillet sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.44, for a total transaction of $1,569,960.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,883 shares in the company, valued at $2,596,190.52. This trade represents a 37.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Connections

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WCN. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 1st quarter worth approximately $221,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Waste Connections by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,335 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Waste Connections by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,643 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Waste Connections by 17.4% during the first quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,528 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $493,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Waste Connections by 6.3% during the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 28,458 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,682 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.