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Waste Connections (WCN) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Waste Connections logo
$161.16 -2.00 (-1.22%)
Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$161.66 +0.49 (+0.31%)
As of 05:55 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
4
Buy
16

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, 4 have given a hold rating, 14 have given a buy rating, and 2 have given a strong buy rating for WCN.

Consensus Price Target

$200.89
24.65% Upside
According to the 20 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Waste Connections, the average price target is $200.89. The highest price target for WCN is $218.00, while the lowest price target for WCN is $176.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 24.65% from the current price of $161.16.
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
9/9/25 to 9/9/26
1 Month Ago
8/10/25 to 8/10/26
3 Months Ago
6/11/25 to 6/11/26
1 Year Ago
9/9/24 to 9/9/25
Strong Buy
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
4 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
14 Buy rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
10 Buy rating(s)
Hold
4 Hold rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$200.89$200.89$202.84$215.00
Forecasted Upside24.65% Upside20.85% Upside30.33% Upside21.12% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyBuy

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
2.90
2.30
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside24.65% Upside97.09% Upside16.47% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent WCN News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
8/7/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
5 of 5 stars
 Reiterated RatingHold (C)
8/4/2026
UBS Group AG logo
UBS Group
4 of 5 stars
Jon Windham
4 of 5 stars
Reiterated RatingNeutral$170.00 ➝ $176.00+6.01%
7/28/2026
Barclays PLC logo
Barclays
3 of 5 stars
Boost 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%
3/13/2026Initiated CoverageOutperform$199.00+19.13%
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 UpgradeHoldStrong-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 Wednesday at 06:01 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 Tuesday, September 8, 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.:

  • The company recently demonstrated strong financial performance by beating analyst expectations in its most recent quarterly report, posting earnings per share of $1.50 against a consensus estimate of $1.35, which signals robust operational efficiency and profitability to the market.
  • Institutional investors are showing renewed confidence in the stock, with major entities like Saudi Central Bank increasing their holdings by 89.4% and Varenne Capital Partners acquiring a new position of 34,303 shares, suggesting that professional analysts see significant value in the company's current trajectory.
  • The stock currently trades at $163.15, which is well below the average analyst price target of $200.89, indicating a potential upside of nearly 23% for investors who align with the consensus "Moderate Buy" rating from Wall Street.
  • Waste Connections, Inc. offers a stable income stream through its quarterly dividend, which was recently paid at $0.35 per share, providing a yield of approximately 0.85% that appeals to income-focused investors seeking consistent cash flow.
  • The company maintains a low beta of 0.48, meaning its stock price tends to be less volatile than the broader market, which can serve as a defensive characteristic for portfolios looking to reduce overall risk exposure during market fluctuations.

Waste Connections
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

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

  • Recent insider activity has been predominantly negative, with senior executives such as SVP Philip Rivard and SVP Robert Cloninger selling significant portions of their holdings in July and August 2026, which may signal a lack of confidence in the stock's near-term appreciation.
  • The company's valuation appears stretched, with a P/E ratio of 30.20, which is high for a utility-like waste services provider and suggests that the stock price may already be pricing in significant future growth that could be difficult to sustain.
  • Short interest has been rising steadily, with shares shorted increasing to 3,677,228 as of August 2026, indicating that a growing number of traders are betting against the stock's performance and expecting a price decline.
  • The stock is currently trading below its 50-day simple moving average of $167.92, which is a technical indicator that often suggests short-term downward momentum and potential weakness in the stock's price action.
  • The company carries a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, which indicates a relatively high level of leverage that could limit its financial flexibility and increase risk if interest rates remain elevated or if economic conditions deteriorate.

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 $200.89, with a high forecast of $218.00 and a low forecast of $176.00.

20 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Waste Connections in the last twelve months. There are currently 4 hold ratings, 14 buy ratings and 2 strong buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" WCN shares.

According to analysts, Waste Connections's stock has a predicted upside of 24.65% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Waste Connections has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase & Co., TD Cowen, UBS Group, and Weiss Ratings 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 8/7/2026.
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