Generate Investment Management Ltd Sells 16,139 Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Generate Investment Management Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 27.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,092 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 16,139 shares during the quarter. Generate Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Waste Connections were worth $8,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WCN. Private Trust Co. NA boosted 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 purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 59.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 41.4% in the fourth quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 222 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Financial Private Client LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 890.0% in the first quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 198 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Waste Connections Price Performance

NYSE WCN traded down $1.53 on Friday, reaching $185.96. 870,293 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 999,522. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.36 and a 12 month high of $201.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $187.33. The stock has a market cap of $48.05 billion, a PE ratio of 76.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WCN shares. William Blair started coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Melius Research raised shares of Waste Connections to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $213.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $214.00 to $216.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Waste Connections to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $197.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waste Connections currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $212.29.

Waste Connections 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.