Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Takes $414.48 Million Position in Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCNFree Report) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 2,488,903 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $414,481,000. Waste Connections makes up 0.8% of Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. XXEC Inc. purchased a new position in Waste Connections in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $164,870,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 0.9% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 12,210,661 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,983,500,000 after purchasing an additional 106,763 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 28.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 6,468,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,134,781,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420,921 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the second quarter worth $1,061,947,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Waste Connections by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,763,742 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $835,370,000 after purchasing an additional 1,289,042 shares in the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Waste Connections Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WCN opened at $169.81 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $42.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.48. Waste Connections, Inc. has a twelve month low of $146.89 and a twelve month high of $188.09. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $166.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $163.13.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCNGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 10.86%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.29 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 6th were given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 6th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WCN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $180.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $199.00 price objective on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Waste Connections from $210.00 to $195.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 13th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, August 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Connections has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.89.

View Our Latest Stock Report on WCN

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Connections

In other news, SVP Philip Rivard sold 2,500 shares of Waste Connections stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.57, for a total value of $416,425.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $122,262.38. The trade was a 77.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Jason Craft sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.59, for a total transaction of $234,885.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,145,703.99. This represents a 4.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,311 shares of company stock valued at $2,303,997. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.

Further Reading

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

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