Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 6,929 Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

Natixis Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 185,870 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 6,929 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $32,594,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Essex Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth $225,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth $15,788,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Waste Connections by 112.5% during the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 580 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth $697,519,000. Finally, Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth $646,000. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WCN. Wolfe Research began coverage on Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $199.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $218.00 price objective (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $212.00 price objective on Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $213.00 price objective on Waste Connections and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Waste Connections from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $203.35.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

Shares of Waste Connections stock opened at $154.06 on Friday. Waste Connections, Inc. has a one year low of $146.89 and a one year high of $193.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.58, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $158.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.49% and a net margin of 10.97%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Waste Connections

In other Waste Connections news, SVP Eric Hansen sold 6,000 shares of Waste Connections stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.82, for a total transaction of $988,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,200,347. The trade was a 31.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ronald J. Mittelstaedt purchased 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $152.24 per share, with a total value of $7,612,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 301,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,826,828.08. The trade was a 19.92% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

About Waste Connections

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.