Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) Short Interest Update

Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) was the target of a large growth in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 2,130,000 shares, a growth of 7.6% from the November 15th total of 1,980,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 381,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.6 days.

Casella Waste Systems Stock Down 1.0 %

CWST traded down $1.11 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $105.70. 210,892 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 312,830. Casella Waste Systems has a 12-month low of $80.04 and a 12-month high of $114.88. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $106.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 890.08, a PEG ratio of 6.53 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $114.00 to $107.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Casella Waste Systems from $117.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Casella Waste Systems from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, William Blair assumed coverage on Casella Waste Systems in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Casella Waste Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $114.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Paul Ligon sold 1,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.81, for a total transaction of $184,781.30. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 21,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,252,088.85. The trade was a 7.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Casella Waste Systems

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 64.5% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 528 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Liberty One Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems in the second quarter worth $167,000. Amalgamated Bank increased its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 2,110 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 12.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 2,743 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Casella Waste Systems during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $281,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.51% of the company’s stock.

Casella Waste Systems Company 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.