Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Trims Stake in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its stake in Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE:WCN) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 106,663 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,738 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Waste Connections were worth $18,369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WCN. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Waste Connections by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 705 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $121,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Waste Connections by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 14,247 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,445,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Waste Connections by 59.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 190 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Waste Connections by 58.0% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 226 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC boosted its position in Waste Connections by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 3,943 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $676,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.09% of the company’s stock.

Waste Connections Trading Down 0.3 %

Waste Connections stock opened at $189.35 on Friday. Waste Connections, Inc. has a 12 month low of $160.34 and a 12 month high of $194.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $185.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $182.64. The company has a market capitalization of $48.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.81.

Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.04). Waste Connections had a net margin of 6.92% and a return on equity of 15.54%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Waste Connections, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Connections Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on WCN. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective 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. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Waste Connections from $192.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Waste Connections from $205.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Waste Connections from $214.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Waste Connections from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $202.43.

About Waste Connections

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.