Stifel Nicolaus Reiterates Buy Rating for Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN)

Stifel Nicolaus reissued their buy rating on shares of Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) in a research note published on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $205.00 price target on the business services provider's stock, up from their previous price target of $200.00.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Waste Connections from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $195.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. CIBC lifted their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an "outperformer" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $195.56.

Waste Connections Trading Down 1.5 %

Waste Connections stock traded down $2.76 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $175.80. The company had a trading volume of 779,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 882,017. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $182.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $175.07. Waste Connections has a 12-month low of $126.12 and a 12-month high of $187.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $45.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.72.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.23% and a return on equity of 15.16%. The company's revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Waste Connections will post 4.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.315 per share. This is an increase from Waste Connections's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 7th. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.01%.

Insider Activity at Waste Connections

In related news, CFO Mary Anne Whitney sold 16,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total transaction of $2,902,215.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 48,899 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,706,466.95. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Mary Anne Whitney sold 16,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.05, for a total value of $2,902,215.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 48,899 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,706,466.95. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Susan Netherton sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.13, for a total transaction of $358,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 10,078 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,805,272.14. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,600 shares of company stock valued at $3,842,550 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Connections

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Waste Connections by 116.2% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 1st quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections during the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.