Jennison Associates LLC Lowers Position in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. $CWST

Jennison Associates LLC cut its holdings in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) by 40.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 200,455 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 134,315 shares during the quarter. Jennison Associates LLC’s holdings in Casella Waste Systems were worth $19,633,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CWST. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 57.7% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 9,283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,035,000 after acquiring an additional 3,395 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 1,601.9% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,412 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $603,000 after acquiring an additional 5,094 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 3,226.1% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 69,849 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,789,000 after acquiring an additional 67,749 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 301.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 245 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Casella Waste Systems in the second quarter worth about $63,000. 99.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Casella Waste Systems

In other news, President Edmond Coletta sold 3,812 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.70, for a total transaction of $357,184.40. Following the transaction, the president owned 147,091 shares in the company, valued at $13,782,426.70. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John W. Casella sold 6,726 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.10, for a total transaction of $626,190.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 27,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,775.90. This trade represents a 19.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,830 shares of company stock worth $1,454,208. 3.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Casella Waste Systems Stock Performance

Shares of Casella Waste Systems stock opened at $86.83 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.51 billion, a PE ratio of 789.44 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $85.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.93. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $74.05 and a one year high of $121.24.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $457.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $454.49 million. Casella Waste Systems had a net margin of 0.38% and a return on equity of 5.20%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.19 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 1.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CWST. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Casella Waste Systems from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group reduced 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 report on Tuesday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $120.00 target price on shares of Casella Waste Systems and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $111.00.

Casella Waste Systems News Roundup

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

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.