Argent Capital Management LLC Trims Holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Argent Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 362,741 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 7,140 shares during the quarter. Waste Connections comprises 1.8% of Argent Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Argent Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Waste Connections worth $62,239,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Connections by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 7,945 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,362,000 after purchasing an additional 1,135 shares during the last quarter. Tuttle Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Connections by 34.6% during the fourth quarter. Tuttle Capital Management LLC now owns 2,302 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 592 shares during the last quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 35,887 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $6,152,000 after acquiring an additional 515 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,542 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $991,000 after acquiring an additional 967 shares during the period. Finally, Douglas Lane & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 129,256 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $22,178,000 after acquiring an additional 22,310 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Waste Connections Price Performance

WCN stock traded up $1.60 during trading on Thursday, reaching $178.30. 681,303 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 915,877. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52-week low of $145.35 and a 52-week high of $194.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $46.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.98, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.76. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $181.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $180.78.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 15.43% and a net margin of 10.81%. Waste Connections's quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.17 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 7th were given a $0.315 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 7th. This is a positive change from Waste Connections's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Waste Connections's payout ratio is currently 34.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on WCN shares. Raymond James cut their target price on Waste Connections from $208.00 to $205.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank started coverage on Waste Connections in a report on Friday, October 4th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Waste Connections from $198.00 to $197.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $199.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Eight Capital raised shares of Waste Connections to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.75.

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.