1,410,253 Shares in Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN Acquired by Deutsche Bank AG

Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,410,253 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $235,075,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WCN. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 346.2% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 1,166.7% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Waste Connections during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 86.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on WCN. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $176.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. 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. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $199.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Friday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $208.00 price objective (up from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Waste Connections news, SVP Robert Michael Cloninger sold 2,811 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.02, for a total transaction of $480,737.22. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,666 shares in the company, valued at $1,995,119.32. This trade represents a 19.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Patrick James Shea sold 7,500 shares of Waste Connections stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.26, for a total transaction of $1,171,950.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 19,737 shares in the company, valued at $3,084,103.62. This trade represents a 27.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 11,811 shares of company stock worth $1,887,572 in the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

NYSE WCN opened at $165.66 on Wednesday. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.89 and a 52-week high of $188.75. The company has a fifty day moving average of $165.80 and a 200-day moving average of $163.10. The company has a market capitalization of $41.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.66.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.15. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 10.86%.The business had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.29 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 6th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.73%.

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.