Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN Shares Bought by Brown Advisory Inc.

Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCNFree Report) by 32.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,677,773 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 413,202 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $294,214,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections during the third quarter worth about $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in Waste Connections during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Waste Connections by 346.2% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

Shares of WCN opened at $155.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $39.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.02, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $165.15. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1 year low of $146.89 and a 1 year high of $192.72.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCNGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.97% and a return on equity of 16.49%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.5 EPS for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 6th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on WCN. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $199.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $218.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $211.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $208.00 price target (up from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Waste Connections from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.84.

Check Out Our Latest Report on WCN

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Connections

In related news, VP Patrick James Shea sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.26, for a total transaction of $1,171,950.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 19,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,084,103.62. This represents a 27.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP James Little sold 2,605 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.98, for a total transaction of $427,167.90. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 34,395 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,092.10. The trade was a 7.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,605 shares of company stock valued at $2,822,923. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Waste Connections Profile

(Free Report)

Waste Connections (NYSE: WCN) is a North American integrated waste services company that provides a range of solid waste and environmental services to municipal, commercial, industrial and residential customers. The company offers collection, transportation, transfer, disposal and recycling services, and operates an extensive network of transfer stations and disposal facilities. Waste Connections positions itself as a provider of infrastructure-driven waste solutions across many regions of the United States and Canada.

The company’s operating activities include routine curbside and commercial collection, roll-off and container services, operation of landfills and transfer stations, and recycling and resource recovery programs.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN)

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