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Reasons to Retain Waste Connections (WCN) Stock in Portfolio Now

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Waste Connections, Inc. (WCN - Free Report) has an impressive Growth Score of A. This style score condenses all the essential metrics from a company’s financial statements to get a true sense of the quality and sustainability of its growth.

The company has an expected long-term earnings per share (three to five years) growth rate of 12.8%. Earnings are expected to register year-over-year growth of 15.2% in 2022 and 13.7% in 2023.

Factors That Auger Well

Being a leading player in the waste management industry, Waste Connections should benefit from ongoing trends such as increasing environmental concerns, rapid industrialization, increase in population and active government measures to reduce illegal dumping.

With prime location of disposal sites being within competitive markets, Waste Connections has optimal asset positioning to generate higher profitability. Given the importance of and costs associated with the transportation of waste to treatment and disposal sites, having disposal capacity proximate to the waste stream offer a competitive advantage and serve as a barrier to entry.

Waste Connections has a steady dividend as well as share repurchase policy. In 2021 and 2020, the company had repurchased shares worth $339 million and $105.7 million, respectively. It paid $220.2 million, $199.9 million and $175.1 million in dividends during 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Such moves indicate the company’s commitment to create value for shareholders and underline its confidence in its business.

Some Risks

Waste Connections' current ratio (a measure of liquidity) at the end of first-quarter 2022 was pegged at 1.12, lower than the current ratio of 1.36 reported at the end of the prior-year quarter. Decreasing current ratio is not desirable as it indicates that the company may have problems meeting its short-term debt obligations.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Waste Connections currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Investors interested in the broader Zacks Business Services sector can consider stocks like Avis Budget Group, Inc. (CAR - Free Report) , Genpact Limited (G - Free Report) and CRA International, Inc. (CRAI - Free Report) .

Avis Budget sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. CAR has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 19.4%.  You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rankstocks here.

Avis Budget delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 102%, on average. 

Genpact sports a Zacks Rank of 1 at present. G has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 12.3%.

Genpact delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 13.3%, on average. 

CRA International carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), currently. CRAI has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 14.3%.

CRAI delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 35.8%, on average.

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