Simplicity Solutions LLC Increases Holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Simplicity Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 114.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,205 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,907 shares during the period. Simplicity Solutions LLC's holdings in Waste Connections were worth $1,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Cassia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,086 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $416,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,537 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $744,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 11,699 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,672,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Traynor Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,895 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WCN shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Waste Connections from $166.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Citigroup upped their price target on Waste Connections from $136.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Waste Connections from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Waste Connections from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Waste Connections from $195.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $177.69.

Waste Connections Stock Down 0.7 %

WCN traded down $1.13 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $164.64. 936,896 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 888,288. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $167.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $150.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12-month low of $126.12 and a 12-month high of $173.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.62, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.66.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 14.42% and a net margin of 9.51%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. Analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 28th were paid a $0.285 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 27th. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.51%.

Insider Transactions at Waste Connections

In other news, Director Andrea E. Bertone sold 902 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.17, for a total value of $152,591.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

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.