Natixis Advisors LLC Has $32.59 Million Stake in Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors trimmed its Waste Connections stake by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, but still held 185,870 shares valued at about $32.6 million.
• Insider activity was mixed: VP James Little sold shares, while CEO Ronald J. Mittelstaedt bought 50,000 shares worth about $7.6 million.
• Waste Connections reported Q1 earnings of $1.23 per share, topping estimates, and analysts remain broadly positive with an average Buy rating and a consensus price target of $203.35.

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 185,870 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 6,929 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.07% of Waste Connections worth $32,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Connections during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Waste Connections during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Connections

In other 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 directly owned 34,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,640,092.10. This represents a 7.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ronald J. Mittelstaedt purchased 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $152.24 per share, with a total value of $7,612,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 301,017 shares in the company, valued at $45,826,828.08. The trade was a 19.92% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Waste Connections from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $213.00 price target on Waste Connections and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank set a $197.00 price target on Waste Connections and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $212.00 price target on Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays set a $180.00 price target on Waste Connections and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $203.35.

Waste Connections Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of WCN stock opened at $154.06 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $158.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.81. The company has a market cap of $39.09 billion, a PE ratio of 37.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.51. Waste Connections, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.89 and a fifty-two week high of $193.08. 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 (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.49% and a net margin of 10.97%.The company's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 6th. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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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