Nykredit A S Buys Shares of 58,723 Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

Nykredit A S bought a new position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 58,723 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $9,788,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Group One Trading LLC purchased a new position in Waste Connections during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in Waste Connections by 1,166.7% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Connections by 346.2% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Robert Cloninger sold 2,811 shares of Waste Connections stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.02, for a total value of $480,737.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,995,119.32. The trade was a 19.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Philip Rivard sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.57, for a total transaction of $416,425.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $122,262.38. The trade was a 77.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Waste Connections Stock Down 1.2%

NYSE:WCN opened at $164.85 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $167.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.06. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52 week low of $146.89 and a 52 week high of $181.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.48.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 10.86%.The company’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.29 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.62 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 6th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 6th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce restated an “outperform” rating and set a $199.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, July 24th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup raised their target price on Waste Connections from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Waste Connections from $210.00 to $195.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Connections currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.89.

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.