Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (CWST) – What Are Brokerages Saying About This Stock?

Shares of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $109.00.

Several analysts have commented on CWST shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Casella Waste Systems from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Barclays increased their price objective on Casella Waste Systems from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Casella Waste Systems from $130.00 to $122.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Casella Waste Systems from $105.00 to $91.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Casella Waste Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th.

Casella Waste Systems Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CWST opened at $86.50 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $88.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $88.03. Casella Waste Systems has a one year low of $74.05 and a one year high of $107.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 961.22 and a beta of 0.78.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.04. Casella Waste Systems had a net margin of 0.29% and a return on equity of 5.32%. The business had revenue of $543.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $526.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.36 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Casella Waste Systems will post 1.22 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Casella Waste Systems

In related news, Director Douglas R. Casella sold 1,343 shares of Casella Waste Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.12, for a total value of $122,374.16. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 90,141 shares in the company, valued at $8,213,647.92. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michael K. Burke sold 1,100 shares of Casella Waste Systems stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.26, for a total transaction of $104,786.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 13,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,299,441.66. This trade represents a 7.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 18,700 shares of company stock valued at $1,709,494 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Casella Waste Systems

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CWST. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the second quarter worth about $36,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in Casella Waste Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 54.8% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 449 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 86.5% during the first quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 468 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.51% of the company’s stock.

Casella Waste Systems Company Profile

Casella Waste Systems, Inc is a regional solid waste services company that provides collection, transfer, disposal, recycling and resource-management services. Its operations serve residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers, including communities, businesses and institutions seeking to manage and recover value from solid waste.

The company’s activities include curbside and commercial waste collection, operation of transfer stations and landfills, recycling services, and the processing of organic materials.