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Waste Connections (WCN) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Waste Connections logo
$155.57 -0.59 (-0.38%)
Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$155.56 -0.01 (-0.01%)
As of 07:30 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

Waste Connections - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
3
Buy
17

Based on 20 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Waste Connections in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 20 analysts, 3 have given a hold rating, 15 have given a buy rating, and 2 have given a strong buy rating for WCN.

Consensus Price Target

$202.42
30.11% Upside
According to the 20 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Waste Connections, the average price target is $202.42. The highest price target for WCN is $218.00, while the lowest price target for WCN is $182.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 30.11% from the current price of $155.57.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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WCN Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/29/25 to 9/29/26
1 Month Ago
8/30/25 to 8/30/26
3 Months Ago
7/1/25 to 7/1/26
1 Year Ago
9/29/24 to 9/29/25
Strong Buy
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
4 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
15 Buy rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
10 Buy rating(s)
Hold
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$202.42$200.89$202.84$213.00
Forecasted Upside30.11% Upside20.88% Upside23.16% Upside22.35% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy

WCN Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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WCN Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Waste Connections Stock vs. The Competition

TypeWaste ConnectionsIndustrials CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.95
2.30
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside30.11% Upside107.23% Upside20.12% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent WCN News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/18/2026
UBS Group AG logo
UBS Group
4 of 5 stars
Jon Windham
4 of 5 stars
UpgradeNeutral ➝ Buy$176.00 ➝ $200.00+28.94%
9/15/2026
Wolfe Research logo
Wolfe Research
4 of 5 stars
Nigel Coe
Nigel Coe
Not Rated
Initiated CoverageOutperform$204.00+26.59%
8/7/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
3 of 5 stars
 Reiterated RatingHold (C)
7/28/2026Boost TargetEqual Weight$180.00 ➝ $187.00+10.24%
7/24/2026 Reiterated RatingOutperform$199.00+18.14%
7/24/2026Reiterated RatingBuy$200.00 ➝ $210.00+24.31%
7/13/2026Lower TargetOverweight$210.00 ➝ $195.00+13.58%
7/9/2026Boost TargetNeutral$180.00 ➝ $182.00+6.83%
4/24/2026Reiterated RatingOutperform$206.00 ➝ $208.00+23.34%
4/24/2026Reiterated RatingOutperform$210.00 ➝ $218.00+28.98%
4/23/2026 Reiterated RatingBuy$211.00+24.84%
2/13/2026Set TargetOverweight$205.00+27.09%
2/13/2026Set TargetSector Outperform$204.00 ➝ $197.00+22.13%
2/13/2026 Set Target$212.00+31.76%
2/13/2026Set TargetBuy$218.00 ➝ $213.00+34.96%
1/23/2026Reiterated RatingOutperform$206.00 ➝ $205.00+20.52%
1/6/2026 UpgradeStrong-Buy
1/5/2026Reiterated RatingOutperform$200.00 ➝ $205.00+17.78%
11/13/2025Initiated CoverageOverweight$186.00+11.05%
10/7/2025 Lower TargetOutperform$211.00 ➝ $196.00+13.08%
10/6/2025Set TargetStrong-Buy$213.00+22.20%
7/24/2025 UpgradeHold ➝ Strong-Buy
6/9/2025UpgradeStrong-Buy$213.00+12.76%
4/25/2025Set Target$220.00+14.22%
4/3/2025Initiated CoverageOutperform
1/30/2025 Lower TargetBuy$225.00 ➝ $210.00+12.14%
10/9/2024UpgradeHold

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Tuesday at 09:25 PM ET.


Should I Buy Waste Connections Stock? WCN Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Friday, September 25, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Waste Connections pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Waste Connections
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Waste Connections, Inc.:

  • Waste Connections, Inc. recently reported strong second-quarter results, beating analyst expectations with earnings per share of $1.50 against a consensus estimate of $1.35, while also exceeding revenue forecasts with $2.56 billion in sales compared to the expected $2.51 billion, demonstrating robust operational performance and top-line growth of 6.4% year-over-year.
  • The stock currently trades at $155.94, which is significantly below the average analyst price target of $202.42, suggesting substantial upside potential as the consensus rating remains a Moderate Buy from twenty analysts who believe the current valuation underestimates the company's future earnings power.
  • Waste Connections, Inc. maintains a low beta of 0.48, indicating that the stock is less volatile than the broader market, which can provide a defensive characteristic for portfolios seeking stability during periods of market uncertainty or economic downturns.
  • The company offers a consistent dividend yield of 0.90% with a sustainable payout ratio of 33.73%, providing income to shareholders while retaining the majority of earnings for reinvestment into growth initiatives such as acquisitions and infrastructure improvements.
  • Recent institutional activity shows positive momentum, with firms like Cidel Asset Management Inc. and Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increasing their positions in the second quarter, signaling growing confidence among professional investors in the company's long-term strategic direction and market position.

Waste Connections
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Waste Connections, Inc. for these reasons:

  • Several senior executives, including SVP Philip Rivard and SVP Robert Michael Cloninger, have recently sold significant portions of their holdings, with Rivard reducing his position by 77.30% and Cloninger by 19.42%, which may signal insider caution or a desire to diversify personal wealth away from the company.
  • The company carries a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, indicating a relatively high level of leverage that could constrain financial flexibility or increase interest expense burdens if interest rates remain elevated or if the company faces operational challenges in generating cash flow.
  • Short interest has been rising in recent months, with shares shorted increasing to 3,421,015 as of September 15, 2026, representing a month-over-month change that reflects growing bearish sentiment among traders who may be betting on a decline in the stock price.
  • Some institutional investors have significantly reduced their exposure, such as Engineers Gate Manager LP cutting its position by 91.0% and Junto Capital Management LP decreasing its stake by 69.8% in the second quarter, suggesting that certain large holders are exiting or de-risking their portfolios.
  • The stock has experienced a decline over the past year, falling approximately 10.7% according to recent analysis, and currently trades below its 50-day moving average of $165.76, indicating that the stock is in a short-term downtrend and may face continued downward pressure.

WCN Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 20 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Waste Connections is $202.42, with a high forecast of $218.00 and a low forecast of $182.00.

20 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Waste Connections in the last twelve months. There are currently 3 hold ratings, 15 buy ratings and 2 strong buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" WCN shares.

According to analysts, Waste Connections's stock has a predicted upside of 30.11% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Waste Connections's stock had 1 upgrade by analysts.

Waste Connections has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase & Co., TD Cowen, UBS Group, Weiss Ratings, and Wolfe Research in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Waste Connections more than other "industrials" companies. The consensus rating for Waste Connections is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "industrials" companies is Hold. Learn more on how WCN compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Waste Connections analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/18/2026.
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