Copeland Capital Management LLC Cuts Stake in Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN

Copeland Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 98,766 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,298 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $17,320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WCN. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections in the 1st quarter valued at $577,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Waste Connections by 12.8% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 219,290 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,946,000 after buying an additional 24,948 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Waste Connections by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 24,463 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,572,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Waste Connections in the second quarter valued at $2,714,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Waste Connections by 1.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,808,631 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $337,708,000 after acquiring an additional 17,197 shares during the last quarter. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Waste Connections News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Waste Connections this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings beat consensus (EPS $1.23 vs $1.19) and adjusted EBITDA/margin came in above expectations, supporting near‑term cash generation. Waste Connections Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed full‑year free cash flow guidance of $1.4B–$1.45B and said it expects roughly $100M of M&A revenue closings by end of Q2/early Q3 — both points that support buyback/dividend flexibility and future growth. M&A revenue closings and FCF guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.35/share (record May 6, pay May 21), which supports total return for income‑oriented holders. Dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Company highlighted pricing initiatives and AI pilots (pricing/route optimization) and special‑waste lift results that could help margins over time, but benefits are not yet fully reflected in results. Deep dive on pricing and AI
• Neutral Sentiment: The Q1 earnings call transcript provides detail on commodity impacts, organic growth and acquisition pipeline—useful for modeling but not an immediate stock catalyst. Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed Street expectations ($2.33B vs. ~$2.50B consensus) and reported net profit declined year‑over‑year (Q1 profit $219.3M vs $241.5M), highlighting near‑term demand/mix pressure. Profit down YoY
• Negative Sentiment: Management cited margin pressure from special‑waste mix and cost dynamics—these headwinds could cap near‑term margin expansion if they persist. Margin commentary

Waste Connections Price Performance

Shares of WCN opened at $169.02 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $43.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.22, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $164.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.89. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.90 and a 12 month high of $199.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last posted its 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. Waste Connections had a net margin of 10.97% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. Waste Connections’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 6th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 6th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Scotiabank set a $197.00 price target on Waste Connections and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $211.00 price target on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Thursday. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Barclays set a $176.00 target price on shares of Waste Connections and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $203.24.

Waste Connections Company Profile

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.