Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Twenty‑two analysts give Waste Connections a consensus Buy, with an average 1‑year target of $203.15 and several higher targets (Goldman $211, JPMorgan $210, Wolfe $199), implying notable upside from the current share price.
• Q1 results showed a EPS beat ($1.23 vs. $1.19) but a revenue miss ($2.33B vs. $2.50B) and a decline in net profit to $219.3M, while management cited margin pressure yet expects ~$100M of M&A revenue to close by end‑Q2/early‑Q3 and reaffirmed 2026 free‑cash‑flow guidance of $1.4–$1.45B.
• Shares opened near $165.80 with a market cap of about $42.3B and a P/E of ~40.4, and the company declared a $0.35 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ≈0.8%).

Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the twenty-two research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $203.15.

Several research firms recently weighed in on WCN. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Waste Connections in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $183.00 price objective (down from $196.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, January 16th. Barclays set a $176.00 price objective on Waste Connections and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $199.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $211.00 target price on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Connections

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WCN. City Holding Co. purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Waste Connections by 346.2% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its stake in Waste Connections by 555.2% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Waste Connections

Here are the key news stories impacting Waste Connections this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on WCN to $210 and moved to an "overweight" rating, implying substantial upside vs. current levels. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects roughly $100M of M&A revenue to close by end of Q2 or early Q3 and reaffirmed 2026 free cash flow guidance of $1.4B–$1.45B — supports the company’s cash-generation story and buyout/investment optionality. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings: WCN reported EPS of $1.23, beating consensus (~$1.19), reinforcing underlying profitability per-share despite cost/mix headwinds. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share (record May 6, payable May 21); yield is modest (~0.8%) and unlikely to materially change investor stance. (Company announcement)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings-call and deep-dive coverage highlight pricing actions, AI initiatives and special-waste campaign results — strategic positives but with timing/scale uncertainty. Article Title Earnings Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Net profit fell to US$219.3M in Q1 from US$241.5M a year ago and management discussed margin pressure — investors may be worried about near-term margin compression and revenue mix. Article Title

Waste Connections Stock Performance

WCN stock opened at $165.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $164.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.83. The company has a market capitalization of $42.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.44, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.61. Waste Connections has a 1-year low of $154.90 and a 1-year high of $199.00.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Waste Connections will post 5.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 6th. Waste Connections's payout ratio is 33.57%.

Waste Connections Company 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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