William Blair Issues Pessimistic Outlook for WCN Earnings

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) - William Blair reduced their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Waste Connections in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, April 25th. William Blair analyst T. Romeo now forecasts that the business services provider will earn $1.25 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.32. William Blair has a "Outperform" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Waste Connections' current full-year earnings is $5.28 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Waste Connections' Q3 2025 earnings at $1.46 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.37 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.21 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.23 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.46 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.66 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.58 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.93 EPS.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 15.54% and a net margin of 6.92%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.04 EPS.

WCN has been the topic of several other research reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $214.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Truist Financial set a $220.00 price objective on Waste Connections in a research note on Friday. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on Waste Connections from $192.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $208.21.

Waste Connections Stock Up 0.7 %

WCN stock traded up $1.42 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $195.50. 1,205,427 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 976,355. Waste Connections has a fifty-two week low of $160.34 and a fifty-two week high of $201.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $191.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $185.09. The stock has a market cap of $50.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.67.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be paid a $0.315 dividend. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 7th. Waste Connections's payout ratio is presently 51.85%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in Waste Connections by 153.3% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 152 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Waste Connections in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 59.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Waste Connections

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.