Waste Connections (WCN) Lags Q4 Earnings Estimates

Core Viewpoint - Waste Connections reported quarterly earnings of $1.16 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.20 per share, but showing an increase from $1.11 per share a year ago, indicating a -3.33% earnings surprise [1] Group 1: Earnings and Revenue Performance - The company posted revenues of $2.26 billion for the quarter ended December 2024, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.94%, compared to $2.04 billion in the same quarter last year [2] - Over the last four quarters, Waste Connections has exceeded consensus EPS estimates three times and topped consensus revenue estimates four times [2] Group 2: Stock Performance and Market Comparison - Waste Connections shares have increased approximately 10.7% since the beginning of the year, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 3.2% [3] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $1.16 on revenues of $2.26 billion, and for the current fiscal year, it is $5.37 on revenues of $9.52 billion [7] Group 3: Industry Outlook and Rankings - The Waste Removal Services industry, to which Waste Connections belongs, is currently in the bottom 33% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting potential challenges ahead [8] - The company's current Zacks Rank is 3 (Hold), indicating that shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future [6]