Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN Shares Purchased by R Squared Ltd

R Squared Ltd raised its stake in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 139.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,927 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,783 shares during the period. Waste Connections accounts for about 0.9% of R Squared Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. R Squared Ltd’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $1,613,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WCN. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 3,042 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $533,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its position in Waste Connections by 2.6% in the third quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 2,556 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC lifted its position in Waste Connections by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 919 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $161,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. RDA Financial Network boosted its stake in Waste Connections by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 2,459 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $431,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in Waste Connections by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 607 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WCN traded up $3.87 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $171.49. 452,355 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,676,463. The stock has a market cap of $43.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.84, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.49. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1 year low of $146.89 and a 1 year high of $191.91. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $157.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $163.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.04. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.49% and a net margin of 10.97%.The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th were 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 was Wednesday, May 6th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is 34.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on WCN. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $218.00 target price (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $208.00 price target (up from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings cut Waste Connections from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays set a $180.00 price objective on Waste Connections and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.84.

Insider Activity

In other Waste Connections news, VP Patrick James Shea sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.26, for a total value of $1,171,950.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 19,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,084,103.62. The trade was a 27.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP James Little sold 2,605 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.98, for a total transaction of $427,167.90. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 34,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,640,092.10. The trade was a 7.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 17,605 shares of company stock valued at $2,822,923. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Waste Connections

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.