Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN Shares Sold by GW Henssler & Associates Ltd.

Key Points

• GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. reduced its Waste Connections stake by 22.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 16,550 shares and ending with 57,621 shares worth about $10.1 million.
• Waste Connections reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $1.23 versus estimates of $1.19, though revenue came in below expectations at $2.33 billion. Revenue still rose 6.4% year over year.
• Insider activity was mixed: CEO Ronald J. Mittelstaedt bought 50,000 shares, while SVP Eric Hansen sold 6,000 shares. Analysts remain broadly positive, with an average Buy rating and price target of $203.35.

GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. lessened its stake in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 22.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,621 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 16,550 shares during the period. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd.'s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $10,104,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WCN. Essex Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth approximately $225,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the 4th quarter worth approximately $15,788,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 112.5% in the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 580 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the 4th quarter worth approximately $697,519,000. Finally, Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the 4th quarter worth approximately $646,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Waste Connections Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of Waste Connections stock opened at $149.65 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $158.66 and a 200-day moving average of $166.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $38.19 billion, a PE ratio of 36.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.84 and a 1-year high of $197.07.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.33 billion during 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.15%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Connections

In other news, SVP Eric Hansen sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.82, for a total transaction of $988,920.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,200,347. This trade represents a 31.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ronald J. Mittelstaedt purchased 50,000 shares of Waste Connections stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $152.24 per share, for a total transaction of $7,612,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 301,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,826,828.08. The trade was a 19.92% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WCN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $218.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, April 24th. Scotiabank set a $197.00 price target on Waste Connections and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $212.00 price target on Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $211.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $208.00 price target (up from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $203.35.

Waste Connections 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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