AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Acquires 5,869 Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its position in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 29.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,070 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,869 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd's holdings in Waste Connections were worth $4,662,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Connections during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections during the 1st quarter worth $43,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections in the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC raised its holdings in Waste Connections by 3,885.7% in the 2nd quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 279 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Waste Connections

In related news, SVP Philip Rivard sold 2,300 shares of Waste Connections stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total transaction of $401,925.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at $214,243.50. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, SVP Philip Rivard sold 2,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total transaction of $401,925.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at $214,243.50. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Robert Nielsen III sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.15, for a total value of $180,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $778,428.15. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Waste Connections Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WCN traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $176.95. 554,994 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 881,178. The business's 50-day moving average price is $181.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $175.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.72. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $129.31 and a 12 month high of $187.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.81% and a return on equity of 15.43%. The company's revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.17 EPS. Analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 7th will be given a dividend of $0.315 per share. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. This is an increase from Waste Connections's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 7th. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective 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. Citigroup boosted their target price 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. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They set a "sector perform" rating and a $196.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $191.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $195.56.

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.