Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $111.1250.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CWST shares. Barclays raised Casella Waste Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $101.00 to $102.00 in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Casella Waste Systems from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research report on Monday, February 23rd.

Casella Waste Systems Stock Performance

Shares of CWST stock opened at $87.41 on Thursday. Casella Waste Systems has a 12-month low of $74.05 and a 12-month high of $118.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 794.71 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.83.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.10. Casella Waste Systems had a return on equity of 5.19% and a net margin of 0.38%.The firm had revenue of $457.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $454.49 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.19 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Casella Waste Systems will post 1.12 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Casella Waste Systems

In related news, CEO John W. Casella sold 6,726 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.10, for a total transaction of $626,190.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 27,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,605,775.90. The trade was a 19.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Edmond Coletta sold 3,812 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.70, for a total value of $357,184.40. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 147,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,782,426.70. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 15,830 shares of company stock worth $1,454,208 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Casella Waste Systems

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Casella Waste Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 180.2% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 297 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 301.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 245 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp bought a new position in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 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 resource management company headquartered in Rutland, Vermont. Established in 1975, the company has grown from a single-truck operation into a multi-state provider of integrated waste management solutions. Casella offers a comprehensive range of services, including residential, commercial and industrial waste collection, transfer station operations, landfill disposal, recycling processing and organics management.

Through a network of solid waste transfer stations, recycling facilities and landfills, Casella serves communities primarily across the northeastern United States and parts of the mid-Atlantic region.