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Morgan Stanley Boosts Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) Price Target to $219.00

Waste Connections logo with Business Services background

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN - Free Report) had its target price increased by Morgan Stanley from $214.00 to $219.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the business services provider's stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $196.00 to $192.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $192.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Waste Connections from $199.00 to $201.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Waste Connections from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, CIBC cut their price objective on Waste Connections from $215.00 to $212.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $201.00.

View Our Latest Analysis on WCN

Waste Connections Stock Performance

WCN stock traded down $1.41 on Friday, hitting $187.63. The company had a trading volume of 978,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 988,278. 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 has a 12-month low of $160.34 and a 12-month high of $194.83. The stock has a market cap of $48.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.77. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $179.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $181.77.

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

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Waste Connections

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 705 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 14,247 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,445,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 41.4% in the 4th quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 222 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position 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 valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 36.3% in the 4th quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 308 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.09% of the company's stock.

Waste Connections Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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