Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Shares Bought by DnB Asset Management AS

DnB Asset Management AS grew its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 124,320 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 905 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $21,331,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WCN. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at $434,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the fourth quarter worth about $687,935,000. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its stake in Waste Connections by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 25,098 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,306,000 after acquiring an additional 2,322 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Waste Connections by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 193,195 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,023,000 after acquiring an additional 14,315 shares during the period. Finally, Mufg Securities Canada LTD. grew its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 72.1% in the 4th quarter. Mufg Securities Canada LTD. now owns 394,071 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $67,560,000 after purchasing an additional 165,072 shares during the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Waste Connections from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $205.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on Waste Connections from $192.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $202.43.

Waste Connections Stock Down 0.6 %

WCN stock opened at $192.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $160.34 and a 12 month high of $194.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.76 billion, a PE ratio of 80.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.81. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $187.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.92.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.04). Waste Connections had a return on equity of 15.54% and a net margin of 6.92%. Equities analysts expect that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.315 per share. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.72%.

Waste Connections Company Profile

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.