Waste Connections, Inc. $WCN Shares Sold by Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd

Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 82.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 29,314 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 133,837 shares during the period. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd’s holdings in Waste Connections were worth $5,141,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the third quarter valued at $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in shares of Waste Connections during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Waste Connections by 346.2% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Connections in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 86.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on WCN. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $199.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $218.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a report on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $211.00 price objective on shares of Waste Connections in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays set a $180.00 price objective on Waste Connections and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Waste Connections from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $202.84.

Waste Connections Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:WCN opened at $156.87 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $39.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Waste Connections, Inc. has a twelve month low of $146.89 and a twelve month high of $191.91. The company has a 50 day moving average of $157.28 and a 200-day moving average of $164.80.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.49% and a net margin of 10.97%.Waste Connections’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 6th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Jason Craft sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.59, for a total transaction of $234,885.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,145,703.99. This represents a 4.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ronald J. Mittelstaedt purchased 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $152.24 per share, for a total transaction of $7,612,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 301,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,826,828.08. This trade represents a 19.92% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,605 shares of company stock valued at $2,822,923. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.