Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN Shares Sold by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon trimmed its stake in Waste Connections by 5.2% in the first quarter, selling 16,528 shares and ending with 304,129 shares valued at about $49.4 million.
• Waste Connections reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.50 beating estimates and revenue of $2.56 billion topping forecasts; revenue rose 6.4% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, while Wall Street remains broadly positive with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average target price of $202.05.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp decreased its holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 5.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 304,129 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 16,528 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 0.12% of Waste Connections worth $49,403,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $697,519,000. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in Waste Connections by 28.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 6,468,259 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,134,781,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420,921 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 37.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,763,742 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $835,370,000 after buying an additional 1,289,042 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 39.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,455,162 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $783,218,000 after buying an additional 1,264,150 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Waste Connections by 58.1% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,900,321 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $508,600,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065,653 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

WCN opened at $169.52 on Friday. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1-year low of $146.89 and a 1-year high of $191.91. The stock has a market cap of $42.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.49. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $161.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $163.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.15. Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 17.31%. The business had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.29 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 6th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WCN has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $210.00 to $195.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $208.00 target price (up from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, April 24th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $199.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $202.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Connections

In other Waste Connections news, VP Patrick James Shea sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.26, for a total value of $1,171,950.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 19,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,084,103.62. This represents a 27.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Eric Hansen sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.82, for a total transaction of $988,920.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,200,347. This represents a 31.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 17,605 shares of company stock valued at $2,822,923. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Waste Connections

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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