Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Sells 16,182 Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 44.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,888 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 16,182 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $3,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WCN. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the third quarter valued at $41,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waste Connections Price Performance

Shares of Waste Connections stock traded up $0.98 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $186.34. The company had a trading volume of 153,204 shares, compared to its average volume of 882,803. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $176.30. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1-year low of $129.31 and a 1-year high of $187.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $48.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.72.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.81% and a return on equity of 15.43%. The company had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 7th will be paid a $0.315 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 7th. This is a boost 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 0.68%. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio is 34.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WCN shares. CIBC increased their price target on Waste Connections from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an "outperformer" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Scotiabank began coverage on Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, October 4th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $208.00 to $205.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $198.00 to $196.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Waste Connections currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $195.56.

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.