Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN Stock Position Raised by Snyder Capital Management L P

Key Points

• Snyder Capital Management L P raised its stake in Waste Connections by 13.1% in Q3, adding 89,111 shares to hold 769,446 shares worth about $135.27 million, making WCN its 12th-largest holding and 2.6% of the firm's portfolio.
• Institutional investors own roughly 86.09% of WCN; the company reported $1.29 EPS (beating by $0.01) with 5% year-over-year revenue growth, and carries a consensus "Buy" rating with an average price target of $203.75.

Snyder Capital Management L P lifted its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 769,446 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 89,111 shares during the quarter. Waste Connections comprises 2.6% of Snyder Capital Management L P's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Snyder Capital Management L P owned 0.30% of Waste Connections worth $135,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WCN. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Connections in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 555.2% during the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 190 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Waste Connections by 479.3% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 336 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Waste Connections Price Performance

Shares of Waste Connections stock opened at $169.79 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $43.41 billion, a PE ratio of 40.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $168.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $172.66. Waste Connections, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $155.65 and a fifty-two week high of $201.66.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.01. Waste Connections had a net margin of 11.37% and a return on equity of 16.25%. The business had revenue of $2.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.16 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. 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 currently 33.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WCN. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $205.00 price target (down from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $183.00 target price (down from $196.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $212.00 target price on Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $213.00 price target on Waste Connections and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $186.00 price objective for the company. Four 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $203.75.

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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