Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) Shares Sold by Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) by 11.0% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,879,432 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 355,695 shares during the period. Casella Waste Systems accounts for 4.8% of Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Casella Waste Systems were worth $321,085,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 71.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 5,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $550,000 after buying an additional 2,172 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 607,954 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $64,328,000 after acquiring an additional 14,369 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $201,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,979 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 47,396 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,015,000 after purchasing an additional 1,415 shares in the last quarter. 99.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Casella Waste Systems Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of CWST opened at $116.06 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $116.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.50. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $91.01 and a one year high of $121.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 2.48 and a current ratio of 2.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 504.61, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.86.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) last announced its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $417.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $403.64 million. Casella Waste Systems had a net margin of 0.87% and a return on equity of 4.15%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.15 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Friday, June 6th. UBS Group lifted their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $127.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $130.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Casella Waste Systems has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.67.

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.