Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Shares Sold by Generate Investment Management Ltd

Generate Investment Management Ltd lowered its position in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 27.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,092 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 16,139 shares during the period. Generate Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Waste Connections were worth $8,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WCN. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Waste Connections by 153.3% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 152 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 59.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Oarsman Capital Inc. raised its position in Waste Connections by 41.4% in the 4th quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 222 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Financial Private Client LLC boosted its stake in Waste Connections by 890.0% during the 1st quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 198 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. 86.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on WCN shares. Melius began coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Monday, June 9th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Scotiabank raised their price target on Waste Connections from $192.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Waste Connections from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Waste Connections to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Waste Connections from $214.00 to $216.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $212.29.

Waste Connections Price Performance

Waste Connections stock traded down $2.28 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $185.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,000,531 shares, compared to its average volume of 998,311. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.03 billion, a PE ratio of 76.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.62. Waste Connections, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.36 and a fifty-two week high of $201.66. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $193.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $187.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.06. Waste Connections had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The firm had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.04 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 7th were issued a dividend of $0.315 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 7th. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.85%.

Waste Connections Company Profile

Waste Connections, Inc provides non-hazardous waste collection, transfer, disposal, and resource recovery services in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services to residential, commercial, municipal, industrial, and exploration and production (E&P) customers; landfill disposal services; and recycling services for various recyclable materials, including compost, cardboard, mixed paper, plastic containers, glass bottles, and ferrous and aluminum metals.