Aureus Asset Management LLC Grows Position in Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

Aureus Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 17.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 271,386 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 39,482 shares during the quarter. Waste Connections comprises approximately 3.0% of Aureus Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Aureus Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Waste Connections worth $47,590,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WCN. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $697,519,000. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Waste Connections by 28.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 6,468,259 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,134,781,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420,921 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Waste Connections by 37.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,763,742 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $835,370,000 after purchasing an additional 1,289,042 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 39.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,455,162 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $783,218,000 after acquiring an additional 1,264,150 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 58.1% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,900,321 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $508,600,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065,653 shares during the period. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Waste Connections

In other Waste Connections news, VP James Little sold 2,605 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.98, for a total value of $427,167.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 34,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,640,092.10. This represents a 7.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Jason Craft sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.59, for a total value of $234,885.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,145,703.99. This represents a 4.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 17,605 shares of company stock valued at $2,822,923 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WCN. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $208.00 price objective (up from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Waste Connections in a report on Friday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $199.00 price objective for the company. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $218.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $211.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $202.84.

Waste Connections Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:WCN opened at $154.97 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $157.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $164.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.69. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1 year low of $146.89 and a 1 year high of $191.91.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.50 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.49% and a net margin of 10.97%.Waste Connections's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th were given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.15%.

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.

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