Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC Sells 988 Shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC lowered its holdings in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 18.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,292 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 988 shares during the quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $736,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in Waste Connections by 153.3% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 152 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 59.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 58.0% in the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 226 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Waste Connections Stock Performance

Shares of WCN stock opened at $188.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 52 week low of $160.34 and a 52 week high of $201.66. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $188.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $183.27. The company has a market capitalization of $48.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.67.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 EPS 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%. On average, analysts expect that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Waste Connections from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Waste Connections from $214.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Waste Connections from $205.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. William Blair began coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Thursday. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.00.

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.