Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) Hits New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $163.90 and last traded at $164.3330, with a volume of 81112 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $166.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on WCN. CIBC reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, July 25th. Atb Cap Markets raised Waste Connections from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Waste Connections from $221.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Waste Connections from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group set a $195.00 price target on Waste Connections and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $210.63.

Waste Connections Trading Down 0.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company has a 50 day moving average of $173.80 and a 200 day moving average of $183.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.60.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.06. Waste Connections had a net margin of 6.65% and a return on equity of 16.07%. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.35 earnings per share. Waste Connections’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Waste Connections has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Edward E. Guillet sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 14,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Waste Connections

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WCN. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the second quarter worth $28,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Waste Connections by 122.0% in the first quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 182 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its stake in Waste Connections by 555.2% in the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Connections by 994.4% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the second quarter worth $39,000. 86.09% of the stock is currently 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.