Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. $CWST

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 899,385 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 12,810 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned approximately 1.42% of Casella Waste Systems worth $88,086,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 337 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 3,975 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp grew its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 489 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 184 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew 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 buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on CWST. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Friday. UBS Group lowered their price target on Casella Waste Systems from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Friday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Casella Waste Systems from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Barclays upgraded Casella Waste Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $101.00 to $102.00 in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $111.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Casella Waste Systems

In related news, CEO Edmond Coletta sold 12,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.56, for a total value of $1,119,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 140,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,548,968.08. This trade represents a 8.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John W. Casella sold 1,744 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.77, for a total transaction of $153,070.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 30,795 shares in the company, valued at $2,702,877.15. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 19,422 shares of company stock worth $1,729,647. 3.78% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Casella Waste Systems Trading Up 3.8%

NASDAQ CWST opened at $87.81 on Wednesday. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $74.05 and a one year high of $118.91. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $83.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 798.35 and a beta of 0.77.

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

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.