Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.01 EPS

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.01, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $2.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.37 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.07% and a net margin of 6.65%.Waste Connections’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.16 EPS.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WCN traded down $9.75 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $161.96. The stock had a trading volume of 1,106,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,661,029. The firm has a market cap of $41.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.22, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.62. Waste Connections has a fifty-two week low of $162.06 and a fifty-two week high of $201.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $171.31 and a 200-day moving average of $174.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is 58.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Connections

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WCN. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 2,556 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $449,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Waste Connections by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 3,056 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Waste Connections by 1.1% during the second quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 6,853 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Waste Connections by 1.2% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,882 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in Waste Connections by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 9,519 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,673,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Connections News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Waste Connections this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company set 2026 revenue guidance of $9.9B–$10.0B, above the Street consensus (~$9.8B), signaling expected top?line growth into the year. Waste Connections Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Results and Provides 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a $0.35 quarterly cash dividend (payable March 12, 2026; ex?div Feb 25), showing shareholder return commitment (annualized yield ~0.8%). Waste Connections Announces Regular Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 adjusted metrics improved: EPS of $1.29 marginally beat consensus and the company reported adjusted?EBITDA margin expansion and 5% revenue growth year?over?year — evidence of pricing strength and operating leverage. Waste Connections Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Results and Provides 2026 Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and write?ups are parsing line?item performance and trends (profitability, pricing, volumes) to update models — expect varying adjustments from research shops. Waste Connections (WCN) Q4 Earnings: How Key Metrics Compare to Wall Street Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Major headlines characterize the quarter as “in line” overall — mixed signals that may lead to short?term divergence among investors. Waste Connections’s (NYSE:WCN) Q4 CY2025 Earnings Results: Revenue In Line With Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue came in slightly below some analyst estimates ($2.35B vs ~ $2.37B), which can temper enthusiasm despite the EPS beat and likely contributed to selling pressure. Waste Connections Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Results and Provides 2026 Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Management did not provide clear, detailed EPS guidance in the update (EPS guidance line was not specified in releases), which can increase uncertainty for forward earnings models. Waste Connections Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Results and Provides 2026 Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is rich (P/E elevated vs history), and the low dividend yield limits income support — a high multiple makes the stock more sensitive to any execution or guidance misses.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WCN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays restated a “negative” rating on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $205.00 price target (down previously from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $205.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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 note on Thursday, October 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.50.

Waste Connections Company 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.