Argent Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

Argent Capital Management LLC cut its position in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 338,295 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 10,386 shares during the quarter. Waste Connections makes up about 1.7% of Argent Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Argent Capital Management LLC owned 0.13% of Waste Connections worth $59,323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Connections in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 555.2% in the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Waste Connections Price Performance

Shares of Waste Connections stock opened at $164.64 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $167.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $171.43. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.65 and a 12-month high of $201.66. The firm has a market cap of $42.02 billion, a PE ratio of 39.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

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

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WCN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $213.00 price objective on shares of Waste Connections and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank set a $197.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $183.00 price objective (down from $196.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Monday, January 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $203.52.

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.