Sycomore Asset Management Grows Position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Sycomore Asset Management raised its stake in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 80.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 117,228 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 52,372 shares during the quarter. Waste Connections makes up approximately 2.5% of Sycomore Asset Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Sycomore Asset Management's holdings in Waste Connections were worth $20,114,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC raised its position in Waste Connections by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,313,725 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $950,055,000 after purchasing an additional 30,890 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in Waste Connections by 35.3% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 2,678,562 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $478,777,000 after purchasing an additional 699,012 shares in the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,332,002 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $417,385,000 after acquiring an additional 142,751 shares in the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,303,339 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $401,936,000 after acquiring an additional 309,619 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,964,082 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $351,037,000 after acquiring an additional 602,055 shares in the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Connections Stock Down 0.6 %

WCN traded down $1.07 on Thursday, reaching $188.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,273,849 shares, compared to its average volume of 979,174. The stock has a market cap of $48.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.77. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1 year low of $158.16 and a 1 year high of $194.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business's 50 day moving average is $179.42 and its 200 day moving average is $181.49.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.04). Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.81% and a return on equity of 15.43%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a $0.315 dividend. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on WCN. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Waste Connections from $192.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Waste Connections from $198.00 to $196.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. CIBC decreased their price target on Waste Connections from $215.00 to $212.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Waste Connections from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Waste Connections from $198.00 to $197.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.06.

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.