2,250 Shares in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) Acquired by WoodTrust Financial Corp

WoodTrust Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,250 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $251,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,110,529 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $646,555,000 after buying an additional 123,001 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,577,308 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $272,705,000 after purchasing an additional 838,086 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,830,220 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $193,656,000 after purchasing an additional 13,678 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,644,476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $174,002,000 after purchasing an additional 190,023 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,446,875 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $153,129,000 after purchasing an additional 15,917 shares in the last quarter. 99.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on CWST. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $130.00 target price for the company. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Casella Waste Systems currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.67.

Insider Transactions at Casella Waste Systems

In related news, SVP Paul Ligon sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.67, for a total value of $237,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,414,578.49. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Edmond Coletta sold 5,562 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.18, for a total transaction of $662,879.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 150,093 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,888,083.74. This trade represents a 3.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Casella Waste Systems Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of CWST stock opened at $117.83 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $116.40 and a 200-day moving average of $111.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.01 and a 12-month high of $121.24. The company has a market capitalization of $7.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 535.62, a P/E/G ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.86.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.08. Casella Waste Systems had a net margin of 0.79% and a return on equity of 4.69%. The company had revenue of $417.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $403.64 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 22.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Casella Waste Systems

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.