Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for WCN Earnings

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Waste Connections in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, November 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings of $1.19 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.23. The consensus estimate for Waste Connections’ current full-year earnings is $5.28 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Waste Connections’ Q2 2026 earnings at $1.38 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $5.59 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.32 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.65 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.31 EPS.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. CIBC reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Waste Connections from $221.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Barclays reaffirmed a “negative” rating on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Atb Cap Markets raised shares of Waste Connections from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $210.00.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

WCN opened at $167.37 on Wednesday. Waste Connections has a 1-year low of $163.27 and a 1-year high of $201.66. The stock has a market cap of $42.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.60. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $173.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $183.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.46 billion. Waste Connections had a net margin of 6.65% and a return on equity of 16.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.35 earnings per share. Waste Connections has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 5th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 5th. This is a positive change from Waste Connections’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Waste Connections’s payout ratio is presently 58.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Connections news, Director Edward E. Guillet sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.44, for a total transaction of $1,569,960.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 14,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,596,190.52. This trade represents a 37.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Connections

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WCN. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections in the first quarter valued at $221,000. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,335 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,643 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,528 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 28,458 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,682 shares during the period. 86.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Connections Company Profile

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.