Wasatch Advisors LP Increases Holdings in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST)

Wasatch Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) by 0.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,739,222 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 4,462 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP’s holdings in Casella Waste Systems were worth $173,035,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 108.0% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 66,129 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,579,000 after purchasing an additional 34,340 shares in the last quarter. Williams Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the second quarter worth about $2,427,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 667.9% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 48,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,785,000 after purchasing an additional 41,950 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 3.1% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 861,463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $85,476,000 after purchasing an additional 26,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the third quarter worth about $562,000. 99.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Casella Waste Systems

In other Casella Waste Systems news, SVP Paul Ligon sold 1,730 shares of Casella Waste Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.81, for a total value of $184,781.30. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 21,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,252,088.85. The trade was a 7.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 4.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on CWST shares. Raymond James lifted their target price on Casella Waste Systems from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Casella Waste Systems from $114.00 to $107.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $117.00 target price (up previously from $110.00) on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, William Blair started coverage on Casella Waste Systems in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $111.50.

Casella Waste Systems Stock Performance

Shares of CWST stock opened at $113.21 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 943.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.65 and a beta of 0.99. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.47 and a 52-week high of $114.56. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $103.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.47. The company has a quick ratio of 2.48, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.01). Casella Waste Systems had a net margin of 0.46% and a return on equity of 3.04%. The company had revenue of $411.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $412.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.35 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 0.65 EPS for the current year.

Casella Waste Systems Profile

Casella Waste Systems, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a vertically integrated solid waste services company in the United States. It offers resource management services primarily in the areas of solid waste collection and disposal, transfer, recycling, and organics services to residential, commercial, municipal, institutional, and industrial customers.