Seaport Res Ptn Has Pessimistic Outlook of WCN Q4 Earnings

Key Points

• Seaport Res Ptn has lowered its Q4 2025 earnings per share estimate for Waste Connections from $1.21 to $1.15, while the current full-year earnings estimate remains at $5.28 per share.
• Despite the lower earnings forecast, Waste Connections announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.35, with a payout ratio of 50.81% and a yield of 0.8%.
• The stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a target price of $210.38, supported by various analysts' ratings.

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn reduced their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Waste Connections in a report released on Tuesday, October 21st. Seaport Res Ptn analyst J. Mazzoni now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings of $1.15 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.21. The consensus estimate for Waste Connections' current full-year earnings is $5.28 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Waste Connections' Q3 2026 earnings at $1.65 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.42 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $5.83 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.80 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.39 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Waste Connections in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $221.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Waste Connections from $221.00 to $219.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Atb Cap Markets raised Waste Connections from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, September 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $192.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $210.00 to $205.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Waste Connections currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $210.38.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

Shares of WCN stock opened at $178.35 on Thursday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $177.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $185.54. The company has a market cap of $45.76 billion, a PE ratio of 74.31, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Waste Connections has a 12-month low of $169.36 and a 12-month high of $201.66.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.08% and a net margin of 6.65%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.35 EPS. Waste Connections has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Connections

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections during the second quarter worth $28,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 122.0% in the first quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 182 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Waste Connections by 994.4% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. AlphaCore Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Waste Connections during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. boosted its position in Waste Connections by 232.3% in the 1st quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 216 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 5th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 5th. This is an increase from Waste Connections's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.81%.

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.

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