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

Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $161.25 and last traded at $160.3970, with a volume of 1273735 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $171.70.

Key Headlines Impacting Waste Connections

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on the bottom line and margin improvement — Waste Connections reported $1.29 EPS (beat by $0.01) and disclosed adjusted EBITDA margin expansion of ~110 bps, signaling operating leverage and pricing strength. BusinessWire: Q4 Results & 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Company gave revenue guidance for FY2026 of $9.9–$10.0 billion, modestly above consensus (~$9.8B), implying continued top-line growth. BusinessWire: Q4 Results & 2026 Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Board declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.35/share (annualized yield ~0.8%); Board will review annually with a stated objective to increase over time. BusinessWire: Dividend Announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed estimates — Q4 revenue was $2.35B vs. consensus ~$2.37B, a disappointment relative to the small EPS beat and likely a driver of the pullback. MarketBeat: Q4 Earnings Details
• Negative Sentiment: Management did not provide clear FY EPS guidance in the update (EPS field was left blank in the guidance release), creating forward-earnings uncertainty for a stock trading at a rich multiple — investors often punish ambiguity at high valuations.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WCN shares. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 target price (down previously from $206.00) on shares of Waste Connections in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Waste Connections from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Waste Connections in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $186.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Waste Connections in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce set a $208.00 target price on Waste Connections in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $206.50.

Waste Connections Trading Down 8.1%

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $171.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $174.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The company has a market capitalization of $40.35 billion, a PE ratio of 65.76, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.62.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.37 billion. Waste Connections had a return on equity of 16.07% and a net margin of 6.65%.The company’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 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, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. Waste Connections’s dividend payout ratio is 58.33%.

Institutional Trading of Waste Connections

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Waste Connections by 2.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 31,585,284 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,552,682,000 after acquiring an additional 717,440 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Waste Connections by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 6,501,719 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,208,669,000 after purchasing an additional 117,939 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 28.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 6,468,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,134,781,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420,921 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Waste Connections by 17.6% during the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 6,136,218 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,078,536,000 after purchasing an additional 918,245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Waste Connections by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,763,742 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $835,370,000 after purchasing an additional 1,289,042 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

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.