Quantbot Technologies LP Increases Stock Holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 1,209.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 75,991 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 70,187 shares during the period. Waste Connections comprises about 0.5% of Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in Waste Connections were worth $13,589,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at $41,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $198.00 to $197.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Waste Connections from $199.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, October 4th. They set a "sector perform" rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus restated a "buy" rating and issued a $205.00 target price (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $208.00 to $205.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $195.56.

Waste Connections Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of WCN traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $193.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 867,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 889,483. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52 week low of $132.15 and a 52 week high of $194.24. The company's fifty day moving average price is $181.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.92. The stock has a market cap of $49.87 billion, a PE ratio of 53.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.72.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 business posted $1.17 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 7th were paid a $0.315 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 7th. This is a boost from Waste Connections's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.62%.

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.