Waste Connections Ranks 485th in Daily Trading Volume as Institutional Investors Pile In, Shares Climb 1.43%

On August 11, 2025, Waste Connections (WCN) saw a trading volume of $210 million, ranking it 485th among stocks traded that day. The stock closed with a 1.43% increase, reflecting modest momentum amid broader market activity.

Nuveen LLC has become a significant institutional stakeholder, acquiring over 3.1 million shares valued at $623.16 million in the first quarter, representing 1.24% ownership. This move underscores institutional confidence in the company’s performance, particularly as 86.09% of its shares are held by institutional investors. Vanguard Group Inc. and WCM Investment Management also increased their holdings, with Vanguard adding 954,242 shares to its position, now valued at $5.9 billion, while WCM boosted its stake by 0.3%.

Recent earnings reports have bolstered investor sentiment. The company announced quarterly earnings of $1.29 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, alongside a $0.315 dividend per share, yielding 0.7%. Analysts have largely maintained a positive outlook, with multiple firms upgrading their price targets and maintaining "outperform" ratings. Truist Financial set a $220 target, while Scotiabank adjusted its recommendation to "sector perform" with a revised $208 target. The consensus rating remains "Buy," with an average target price of $215.

Strategic institutional activity highlights continued interest in the stock. Capital International Investors and Price T Rowe Associates each increased their stakes in the fourth quarter, with Capital International’s holdings rising by 17.8%. These developments suggest sustained confidence in Waste Connections’ operational resilience and market position.

The strategy of purchasing the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding them for one day delivered a 166.71% return from 2022 to the present, outperforming the benchmark return of 29.18% by 137.53%. This underscores the role of liquidity concentration in short-term stock performance, particularly in volatile markets.