Sciencast Management LP Has $2.11 Million Stock Holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Sciencast Management LP lowered its holdings in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 12.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,315 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,760 shares during the period. Sciencast Management LP’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $2,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WCN. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 153.3% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 152 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Waste Connections by 59.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Waste Connections in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Waste Connections Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of WCN opened at $189.35 on Friday. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 1-year low of $160.34 and a 1-year high of $194.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $48.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.81. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $185.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $182.64.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.04). Waste Connections had a return on equity of 15.54% and a net margin of 6.92%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a $0.315 dividend. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on WCN. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $214.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Waste Connections from $192.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Scotiabank cut their price target on Waste Connections from $196.00 to $192.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Waste Connections from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $202.43.

About Waste Connections

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.