Two Sigma Advisers LP Increases Stake in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 62.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 962,850 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 371,600 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned about 0.37% of Waste Connections worth $165,206,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC raised its position in Waste Connections by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 303,040 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $54,190,000 after purchasing an additional 77,466 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Waste Connections by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,036,856 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $349,483,000 after purchasing an additional 109,701 shares during the period. Mechanics Bank Trust Department purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the 4th quarter worth $353,000. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the 4th quarter worth $316,000. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the 4th quarter worth $370,000. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Connections Price Performance

Shares of WCN traded down $1.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $194.86. The stock had a trading volume of 1,097,436 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,002,569. The firm has a market cap of $50.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.53, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.66. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $160.34 and a 12 month high of $201.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $193.26 and a 200 day moving average of $186.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.06. Waste Connections had a net margin of 6.92% and a return on equity of 15.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.04 earnings per share. Waste Connections's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be given a dividend of $0.315 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 7th. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.65%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $214.00 to $216.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Waste Connections from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $214.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $221.00 target price on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $208.21.

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.