ABN Amro Investment Solutions Sells 5,374 Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

ABN Amro Investment Solutions reduced its position in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 41.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,663 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,374 shares during the quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Waste Connections were worth $1,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in Waste Connections by 16.4% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 4,679 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $823,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Waste Connections by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 163,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,780,000 after buying an additional 26,684 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 128.5% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 57,228 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,063,000 after acquiring an additional 32,184 shares during the last quarter. Drake & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 33.6% in the 3rd quarter. Drake & Associates LLC now owns 14,096 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,339,000 after acquiring an additional 3,542 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $530,000. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

NYSE:WCN opened at $160.41 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $170.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $174.25. The stock has a market cap of $41.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.47, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.62. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1-year low of $155.65 and a 1-year high of $201.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.01. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.25% and a net margin of 11.37%.The firm had revenue of $2.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.16 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on WCN shares. UBS Group set a $205.00 price objective on Waste Connections in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $212.00 price target on Waste Connections in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Waste Connections from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $205.00 target price on shares of Waste Connections and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $202.00 price target for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.20.

Waste Connections Profile

Waste Connections (NYSE: WCN) is a North American integrated waste services company that provides a range of solid waste and environmental services to municipal, commercial, industrial and residential customers. The company offers collection, transportation, transfer, disposal and recycling services, and operates an extensive network of transfer stations and disposal facilities. Waste Connections positions itself as a provider of infrastructure-driven waste solutions across many regions of the United States and Canada.

The company’s operating activities include routine curbside and commercial collection, roll-off and container services, operation of landfills and transfer stations, and recycling and resource recovery programs.