Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) Shares Sold by Kimelman & Baird LLC

Kimelman & Baird LLC cut its holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 187,744 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 3,332 shares during the period. Waste Connections accounts for about 2.6% of Kimelman & Baird LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Kimelman & Baird LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Waste Connections worth $32,213,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Waste Connections by 307.1% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,927,155 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $344,615,000 after acquiring an additional 1,453,733 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth approximately $240,422,000. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp increased its holdings in Waste Connections by 432.6% in the 3rd quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 1,259,312 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $225,078,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022,851 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in Waste Connections by 35.3% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 2,678,562 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $478,777,000 after purchasing an additional 699,012 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Waste Connections by 44.2% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,964,082 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $351,037,000 after purchasing an additional 602,055 shares in the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Waste Connections Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:WCN traded down $0.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $189.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 910,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 880,171. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.34 and a 52-week high of $194.83. 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 capitalization of $48.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $185.30 and a 200-day moving average of $182.62.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 6.92% and a return on equity of 15.54%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a dividend of $0.315 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio is presently 52.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. CIBC cut their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $215.00 to $212.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $196.00 to $192.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $192.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Four 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $202.43.

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.