Bank of Montreal Can Increases Holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,644,222 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 356,798 shares during the period. Waste Connections makes up approximately 0.7% of Bank of Montreal Can's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Bank of Montreal Can owned approximately 3.35% of Waste Connections worth $1,481,041,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Waste Connections by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,293,002 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $5,025,836,000 after buying an additional 174,121 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the 4th quarter worth $687,935,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Waste Connections by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,983,165 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $683,430,000 after buying an additional 310,449 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,698,507 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $634,200,000 after acquiring an additional 65,795 shares during the period. Finally, Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd now owns 3,332,826 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $571,846,000 after buying an additional 29,542 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.09% of the company's stock.

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Waste Connections Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Connections stock traded up $2.92 on Friday, hitting $194.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,469,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 964,291. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $50.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.67. The company's 50 day moving average price is $189.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $183.72. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.34 and a 52-week high of $201.66.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WCN shares. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $192.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $218.00 to $209.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. William Blair began coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut Waste Connections from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Connections presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $204.43.

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.