Waste Connections Gains 30% in a Year: Here's What You Should Know

Waste Connections, Inc. WCN stock has rallied 29.5% over the past year. The company’s performance is being driven by healthy demand for services, acquisitions, operating efficiency and increased prices charged to customers.Waste Connections has been benefiting from trends such as rising environmental concerns, rapid industrialization and increased population. The company’s services usually cannot be delayed and are required on a scheduled basis, allowing it to achieve a steady flow of revenues, which grew 13.3% year over year in the third quarter of 2024 and 11.2% year over year in 2023.Waste Connections, Inc. Price  Waste Connections, Inc. price | Waste Connections, Inc. Quote Prices charged to customers increased $127.7 million in the third quarter of 2024 and $616.6 million in 2023, driving adjusted EBITDA growth of 17.3% in the quarter and 13.6% in 2023.Waste Connections follows a combination of financial, market and management criteria to evaluate acquisition opportunities. In 2023, 2022 and 2021, the company completed 13, 24 and 30 acquisitions, respectively. These contributed $410.9 million to its revenues in 2023, $552 million in 2022 and $215.39 million in 2021.Commitment to shareholder returns makes Waste Connections a reliable way for investors to compound wealth over the long term. In 2023, 2022 and 2021, the company paid out $270.6 million, $243 million and $220.2 million in dividends, respectively.Zacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderWCN currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Business Services sector are Parsons PSN and Qifu Technology, Inc. QFIN.Parsons sports a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.PSN has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 18.6%. It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 17.5%, on average.Qifu currently flaunts a Zacks Rank of 1. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 20.9%.QFIN delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 12.4%, on average.Free Today: Profiting from The Future’s Brightest Energy SourceThe demand for electricity is growing exponentially. At the same time, we’re working to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. Nuclear energy is an ideal replacement.Leaders from the US and 21 other countries recently committed to TRIPLING the world’s nuclear energy capacities. This aggressive transition could mean tremendous profits for nuclear-related stocks – and investors who get in on the action early enough.Our urgent report, Atomic Opportunity: Nuclear Energy's Comeback, explores the key players and technologies driving this opportunity, including 3 standout stocks poised to benefit the most.Download Atomic Opportunity: Nuclear Energy's Comeback free today.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Waste Connections, Inc. (WCN): Free Stock Analysis Report Qifu Technology, Inc. (QFIN): Free Stock Analysis Report Parsons Corporation (PSN): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks