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Stockchase Opinions

Javed MirzaWaste ConnectionsWCN.TOTOP PICKFeb 03, 2020

It's enjoyed a long uptrend, then consolidated recently and is now moving up. You can buy this, then don't worry about it. It keeps on trucking. Business (trash collecting) is good. Pays a good dividend. (Analysts’ price target is $136.12)
$127.55

Stock price when the opinion was issued

$217.03

As of Jun 19, 2026. Market Open.

Transportation & Environmental Services
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BUY

The really great companies that execute well continue to do this in a bull market. This company continues to execute well and is at an all time high.

TOP PICK

Defensive. Their business model works in any business cycle, including a downturn. They have contracts with energy companies, which may suffer a bit, but garbage needs to be collected consistently. They run an efficient business and make accretive buys of companies. Has long owned this.

(Analysts’ price target is $211.10)
WAIT

The question was on comparing WSP Global and Waste Connections. The companies are very different. WCN is in the waste management business and WSP Global is more on the engineering side. Waste management is an important field and a consistent business. WCN traditionally has had an expensive valuation. Both are good companies. Hold or wait to buy.

STRONG BUY

Loves it. There's room for growth in volumes as well as margin expansion.

HOLD

Has done well. Classified as an industrial, but it doesn't have cyclicality. Pricing power and acquisitions drive the long-term growth. Operate in a lot of uncontested markets. Should continue growing at high single-digit pace. Zero product obsolescence. Sold, and high-graded his portfolio to WM instead. Both are good.

BUY

Great business that's grown by acquisition, which has been fruitful. Balance sheet in great shape, tons of free cashflow, inflation-protected contracts. Core position. Great management team. Expects more deals.

PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Mar 03/22, Up 8%)

It is in the waste collection business - a very defensive place to be. A lot of contracts are tied to the CPI so revenues are bumped up and it can raise prices. Has owned for a long time and will buy more.

PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Feb 03/21, Up 51%) Another good chart that will add to. Very good chart (trending upwards). Excellent business model.
SELL
Not cheap. In difficult economic environments, investors sometimes trade up to one best-in-class name in a sector. He sold WCN in favour of WM, which is bigger, more profitable, stronger credit rating. WN is a better quality business at a less demanding multiple. All waste management takes on debt to finance acquisitions.
TOP PICK
Management sees great opportunities ahead. Wants to make more renewable landfill gas sites. Benefits from higher oil prices. Defensive, safe. Excellent management, clean balance sheet. He expects double-digit revenue growth for many years. Also a reopening play. The dual listing is a gift to Canadian investors. (Analysts’ price target is $178.80)
PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Feb 04/21, Up 27%) Best in class in the world from track record in M&A, pricing power, marketing, and growth profile. Resilient demand and pricing power in face of interest rate hikes and situation in Ukraine. Deserves its premium. He's buying on pullbacks.
DON'T BUY
Waste management is not a growth story. The industry tends to grow by consolidation. As economic activity picks up, so will the waste business.
DON'T BUY
Dividend growth? Hoping for growth in the dividend, but it hasn't grown the way he'd like. Fuel and labour costs are increasing. Stable, well run. High multiple and low yield, which is a caution signal, but money keeps flowing in. A basic need, but price is too high for the return. Yield is 0.6%.
DON'T BUY

WCN vs. WM Fell last year, and now is picking up steam. It's more of a utility industrial than a cyclical. If you want cyclical, look at CAT or other industrial names. 28x forward earnings for 11% growth, so a bit rich for him. Fundamentally, a great business. WM has a better valuation than WCN and growth is about the same. To choose, he'd pick the larger one, which is WM.

BUY
Allan Tong’s Discover Picks Of course, nobody knew that a once-in-a-century pandemic would trigger that recession, but WCN survived the pandemic to emerge with a 21.1% gain since my original pick. This figure excludes the dividend, which currently pays 0.67%, and it beats the TSX by 5%. Read Looking back after 100 weeks of Hot TSX Stocks: BAM, Rails, Garbage for our full analysis.