UBS Group AG Purchases 730,128 Shares of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. $CWST

UBS Group AG boosted its position in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) by 653.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 841,897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 730,128 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Casella Waste Systems were worth $82,455,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 301.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 245 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in Casella Waste Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 235.3% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 285 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 280.0% during the third quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 399 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.51% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Casella Waste Systems

Here are the key news stories impacting Casella Waste Systems this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat — Casella reported $0.20 EPS vs. a ~$0.10 consensus, beating estimates and topping year-ago EPS of $0.19, which helped lift sentiment. Zacks: Casella Tops Q1 Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue beat and growth — Q1 revenue was $457.33M vs. ~$454.5M expected, up ~9.6% year-over-year, signaling continued top-line growth. MarketBeat: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: FY2026 revenue guidance and acquisition strategy — Management issued FY2026 revenue guidance around $2.1B and highlighted strategic acquisitions as growth drivers, which supports a constructive forward view on revenue. GlobeNewswire: Q1 Results & Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary — The Q1 earnings call/transcript provided additional color on operations, acquisitions and execution; investors will watch how integration and cost synergies translate to margins. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Press coverage corroborates results — Local and national outlets summarized the beat and guidance; no major surprises beyond the results and acquisition focus. GreenwichTime: Q1 Snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and thin margins — The stock trades at a very high P/E (~724) and Casella’s reported net margin was about 0.43%, highlighting a stretched valuation relative to near-term earnings power that could limit upside if execution falters. MarketBeat: Valuation & Metrics

Casella Waste Systems Price Performance

CWST opened at $86.83 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 789.44 and a beta of 0.77. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $74.05 and a one year high of $121.24. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $85.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $92.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.26.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $457.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $454.49 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 1.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CWST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on Casella Waste Systems from $95.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group cut their target price on Casella Waste Systems from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered Casella Waste Systems from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Raymond James Financial reiterated 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $111.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John W. Casella sold 1,744 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.77, for a total value of $153,070.88. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 30,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,702,877.15. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Edmond Coletta sold 988 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.81, for a total transaction of $86,756.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 152,618 shares in the company, valued at $13,401,386.58. This represents a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,830 shares of company stock worth $1,454,208. 3.78% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Casella Waste Systems

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.