Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Shares Bought by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 76.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,624 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,574 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $622,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Waste Connections by 153.3% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 152 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Waste Connections by 59.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WCN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Waste Connections from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. William Blair began coverage on Waste Connections in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup lifted their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $212.23.

Waste Connections Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:WCN traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $195.16. 253,198 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,003,285. The firm's fifty day moving average is $194.01 and its 200-day moving average is $187.28. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.34 and a 12-month high of $201.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 81.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

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. The company had revenue of $2.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 15.54% and a net margin of 6.92%. Waste Connections's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.04 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th were paid 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 dividend yield of 0.65%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.85%.

About Waste Connections

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.