Waste Connections (WCN) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE: WCN) is a leading integrated waste services provider in North America. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Woodbridge, Ontario, the company delivers comprehensive non-hazardous waste management solutions to municipal, commercial, industrial and residential customers. Waste Connections combines solid waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services with innovative environmental projects across its operating regions.

The company’s portfolio encompasses front-end and roll-off collection, transfer stations, landfills and recycling facilities, as well as landfill gas-to-energy operations. Waste Connections offers specialized services such as organics diversion and renewable energy generation, turning biogas from its disposal sites into electricity. These capabilities allow the company to address a wide range of customer requirements and regulatory demands.

Operating in 41 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces, Waste Connections has grown through a mix of strategic acquisitions and organic expansion. A notable milestone was the 2016 merger with Progressive Waste Solutions, which enhanced the company’s footprint in Canada and diversified its service offerings. The company targets high-growth markets where its integrated platform can deliver cost efficiencies and customer value.

Under the leadership of President and CEO Ronald S. Mittelstaedt, Waste Connections focuses on operational discipline, customer retention and sustainable growth. The executive team emphasizes safety, technological innovation in fleet and route management, and environmental stewardship as key drivers of long-term performance. Through this strategy, Waste Connections continues to build scale and profitability across its diversified service areas.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $185.10 to $187.38
• 50-Day Range: $185.60 to $198.41
• 52-Week Range: $169.36 to $201.66
• Volume: 528,519 shs
• Average Volume: 997,772 shs
• Market Capitalization: $48.06 billion
• P/E Ratio: 76.55
• Dividend Yield: 0.68%
• Price Target: $212.29
• Consensus Rating: Buy

Waste Connections Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Waste Connections scored higher than 95% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 17th out of 314 stocks in the business services sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 3.5 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Buy

Consensus Rating

Waste Connections has received a consensus rating of Buy. The company's average rating score is 3.05, and is based on 12 buy ratings, 3 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Waste Connections has been the subject of 10 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.3 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 14.02%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Waste Connections are expected to grow by 14.02% in the coming year, from $5.28 to $6.02 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Waste Connections is 76.55, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 24.09.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Waste Connections is 76.55, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Business Services sector average P/E ratio of about 24.30.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

Waste Connections has a PEG Ratio of 3.24. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Waste Connections has a P/B Ratio of 6.11. P/B Ratios above 3 indicate that a company could be overvalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 4.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

0.83% of the float of Waste Connections has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Waste Connections has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.8, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Waste Connections has recently decreased by 0.46%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving.

Dividend

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Moderate

Dividend Yield

Waste Connections has a dividend yield of 0.67%, which is in the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Waste Connections has been increasing its dividend for 8 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Waste Connections is 51.85%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Waste Connections will have a dividend payout ratio of 20.93% next year. This indicates that Waste Connections will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 3.5 / 5
• Environmental Score: -0.10

Percentage of Shares Shorted

0.83% of the float of Waste Connections has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Waste Connections has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.8, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Waste Connections has recently decreased by 0.46%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.1 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.76

News Sentiment

Waste Connections has a news sentiment score of 0.76. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This news sentiment score is similar to the average news sentiment of Business Services companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 12 news articles for Waste Connections this week, compared to 12 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

4 people have searched for WCN on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 33% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

Only 1 people have added Waste Connections to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -50% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Waste Connections insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 0.28% of the stock of Waste Connections is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

86.09% of the stock of Waste Connections is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

WCN Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have WCN shares performed this year?

Waste Connections' stock was trading at $171.58 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, WCN shares have increased by 8.4% and is now trading at $186.01.
View the best growth stocks for 2025 here.

How were Waste Connections' earnings last quarter?

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April, 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.06. Waste Connections's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year.
Read the conference call transcript.

When did Waste Connections' stock split?

Waste Connections's stock split before market open on Monday, June 19th 2017.The 3-2 split was announced on Wednesday, April 26th 2017. The newly issued shares were issued to shareholders after the closing bell on Friday, June 16th 2017. An investor that had 100 shares of stock prior to the split would have 150 shares after the split.

Who are Waste Connections' major shareholders?

Top institutional shareholders of Waste Connections include Harbor Investment Advisory LLC. Insiders that own company stock include Mary Anne Whitney, James Little, David Eddie, Robert Michael Cloninger, Patrick James Shea, Susan Netherton, Michael W Harlan, Eric Hansen, Robert Nielsen III, William J Razzouk, Philip Rivard and Andrea E Bertone.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Waste Connections?

Shares of WCN stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Waste Connections own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Waste Connections investors own include The RMR Group (RMR), iShares Micro-Cap ETF (IWC), DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH), American Water Works (AWK), AU Optronics (AUOTY), Triple Flag Precious Metals (TFPM) and Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 4/23/2025
• Record date for 5/22 Dividend: 5/07/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 5/22 Dividend: 5/07/2025
• Dividend Payable: 5/22/2025
• Today: 7/01/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 7/23/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Business Services
• Industry: Waste Removal Svcs
• Sub-Industry: Business Services
• Current Symbol: NYSE:WCN
• CIK: 1318220
• Web: www.wasteconnections.com
• Phone: (905) 532-7510
• Fax: 905-532-7580
• Employees: 23,854
• Year Founded: 1997

Price Target and Rating

• Average Stock Price Target: $212.29
• High Stock Price Target: $230.00
• Low Stock Price Target: $195.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +14.1%
• Consensus Rating: Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 3.05
• Research Coverage: 19 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $2.43
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 76.55
• Forward P/E Ratio: 35.23
• P/E Growth: 3.22
• Net Income: $617.57 million
• Net Margins: 6.93%
• Pretax Margin: 8.68%
• Return on Equity: 15.74%
• Return on Assets: 6.36%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 1.05
• Current Ratio: 0.70
• Quick Ratio: 0.70

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $8.92 billion
• Price / Sales: 5.39
• Cash Flow: $9.36 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 19.88
• Book Value: $30.46 per share
• Price / Book: 6.11

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 258,390,000
• Free Float: 257,671,000
• Market Cap: $48.06 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.62