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The Screen · Industrials · Waste Management

Waste Connections Inc logoWaste Connections Inc

WCN · the NYSE · USD · Market cap $40.2B · 24,214 employees

Waste Connections, Inc.

FAIL · Does not pass the screen
159.74 USD

At the last full screen
2026-09-11

Screened 2026-09-11 · the tape above runs as of 21:00 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed

The Label · The Season, Not the Day

This name holds its markdown label.

Waste Connections Inc holds its Markdown at $159.74. The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 2 days.

As held on the ledger · 2026-09-11
PhaseMarkdown · caution
Quantitative stateThe statistical read favours the sellers, held for 2 days
Price at the screen$159.74
Valuation38.49 trailing · 25.73 forward price to earnings
Values screenFAIL · score 70.0
Beta0.47
The Workings

Five Screens, Shown in Full

Does not pass. Debt ratio

TestFigureLimitWhat it meansStatus
Business activity Permissible Core business clean Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
Debt load 43.21% Below 33% Interest-bearing debt is 43.2% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Fail
Interest-bearing cash 0.00% Below 33% Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
Receivables 5.07% Below 49% Money owed to the company is 5.1% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
Revenue purity 0.13% Below 5% Only 0.1% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line. Pass

Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.

What the Numbers Say It Is Worth

The Fair Value Range

145.80Conservative163.58Base case188.12Growth case 159.74Price

Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-09-11 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 2.4% margin of safety to the base estimate.

The Street's Range
162.00Street low 203.00Street average 220.00Street high 159.74Price

Third-party analyst targets: 25 covering, consensus Strong Buy. The average target sits +27% from the screen price.

Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as roughly fairly valued here, while the Street is more bullish: a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.

Price History & Projections
$228$168$109TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONStreet high$220.00 +38%Street avg$203.00 +28%Our fair value$163.58 +3%Conservative$145.80 -8%

Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-09-11 screen.

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The Business, in Plain Words

Trash runs pay steady but cost too much

Every household wheels out the bins each week without a second thought. Waste Connections handles that unglamorous but essential work across the US and Canada, collecting steady revenue from residential and industrial customers alike.

The business clears our ethical screen and shows solid 11 percent margins with 13 percent ROE. Yet at 27.8 times forward earnings and just 6 percent revenue growth the shares sit 5 percent above our fair value with only a narrow moat. Analyst targets look optimistic next to those numbers.

The main risks sit in industrial waste volumes that can drop when energy and construction slow, plus the usual pressure from local competitors on pricing. Nothing dramatic, just enough to keep the margin of safety negative. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E25.7xexpensive even after accounting for its growth
Trailing P/E38.5xexpensive: the price assumes strong growth ahead
EPS, trailing4.15
EPS, forward6.21
Revenue growth+6.4%slow but positive growth
Profit margin10.9%thin but positive margins
Return on equity13.0%a solid return on shareholder capital
FCF yield2.61%
Dividend yield90.00%
Debt to equity1.22a meaningful debt load worth watching
Current ratio0.66below 1: short-term bills exceed liquid assets
Beta0.47barely tracks the market's swings
Short interest, float0.02%
52-week range146.89 - 179.74
MoatNARROW
Market cap$40.2B
Employees24,214

The risks · The things to watch: its business and earnings are exposed to Canada and to currency swings.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Where & How to Trade

WCN trades on the NYSE (the company is based in Canada). As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited

Every Entry, As Written

2026-09-16 Markdown · changed $159.74 -4.6% Entry 5

The framework has shifted from distribution to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 4.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 15%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 7%. The street (25 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $204.

2026-08-16 Distribution $167.39 +7.2% Entry 4

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved up 7.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 15%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 7%. The street (25 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $204.

2026-07-18 Distribution $156.11 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 15%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 7%. The street (25 analysts) rates it strong buy, with a mean price target of $204.

2026-07-03 Distribution $156.11 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Distribution $156.11 Entry 1

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

Latest News · What the Market Is Reading on WCN

Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference: not our reporting, not advice.

Related Securities · Others in WCN's Space

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

What Holding Actually Paid · Price Plus Dividends
If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $150.98 +5.3% · $1,053 +5.3%
2 months $161.23 -1.4% $0.35 $988 -1.2%
3 months $166.59 -4.5% $0.35 $957 -4.3%
6 months $170.62 -6.8% $0.70 $936 -6.4%
1 year $187.70 -15.3% $1.02 $853 -14.7%
2 years $165.68 -4.0% $2.25 $973 -2.7%
3 years $133.14 +19.5% $3.36 $1,220 +22.0%
5 years $116.92 +36.0% $5.25 $1,405 +40.5%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

The Ledger's Promise

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever WCN does next, these words stay.

Waste Connections Inc · WCN · Markdown · $159.74
Recorded 2026-09-11 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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Screening is research, not a fatwa and not financial advice. Figures are drawn from public accounts at the screen date shown. Always manage your risk.

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