Bamco Inc. NY Has $59.91 Million Stake in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Bamco Inc. NY lowered its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) by 4.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 335,000 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 15,000 shares during the quarter. Bamco Inc. NY owned 0.13% of Waste Connections worth $59,905,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WCN. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the second quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the third quarter worth about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Waste Connections Price Performance

Shares of WCN traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $191.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 919,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 886,927. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $182.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.02. Waste Connections, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $137.25 and a fifty-two week high of $194.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.62, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.74.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.05. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 15.43% and a net margin of 10.81%. The business had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.17 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 4.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 7th were given a $0.315 dividend. This is an increase from Waste Connections's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 7th. Waste Connections's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, October 4th. They set a "sector perform" rating and a $196.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $208.00 to $205.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Waste Connections from $198.00 to $196.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Waste Connections from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Waste Connections currently has a consensus 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.