Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Acquires 39,350 Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its holdings in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 35.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 151,150 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 39,350 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund owned about 0.06% of Waste Connections worth $24,553,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WCN. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Patrick James Shea sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 19,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,084,103.62. This trade represents a 27.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ronald J. Mittelstaedt bought 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $152.24 per share, with a total value of $7,612,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 301,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,826,828.08. This trade represents a 19.92% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,605 shares of company stock worth $2,822,923. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Waste Connections Price Performance

Shares of WCN stock opened at $168.93 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $146.89 and a fifty-two week high of $191.91. The firm has a market cap of $42.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.49. The business's 50 day moving average price is $157.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $163.94.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.49% and a net margin of 10.97%.The company had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th were given 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 of this dividend was Wednesday, May 6th. Waste Connections's payout ratio is presently 34.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WCN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $211.00 price objective on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $208.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $199.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $218.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $202.84.

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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