UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Buys 183,540 Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 18.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,163,790 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 183,540 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.45% of Waste Connections worth $199,683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WCN. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in Waste Connections by 153.3% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 152 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Waste Connections by 59.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Waste Connections Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of WCN stock traded down $1.10 on Wednesday, reaching $195.36. 174,987 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,002,132. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.34 and a 12-month high of $201.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $50.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 81.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.66. The business's 50 day moving average price is $193.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $187.16.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.06. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 15.54% and a net margin of 6.92%. The business had revenue of $2.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.04 earnings per share. Waste Connections's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th were paid a $0.315 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 7th. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on WCN shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Waste Connections from $214.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Waste Connections to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Waste Connections from $214.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Waste Connections from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $212.23.

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.