Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?
by Scott Moore · The Cerbat GemCasella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST – Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $82.09 and last traded at $81.93, with a volume of 129591 shares. The stock had previously closed at $84.26.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
CWST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $95.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Monday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Casella Waste Systems from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Casella Waste Systems from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $113.11.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Casella Waste Systems
Casella Waste Systems Trading Down 5.7%
The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 662.89 and a beta of 0.80. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $98.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.07.
Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.08. Casella Waste Systems had a net margin of 0.43% and a return on equity of 5.17%. The company had revenue of $469.06 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $471.32 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. Casella Waste Systems’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Activity at Casella Waste Systems
In related news, CAO Kevin Drohan sold 675 shares of Casella Waste Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.61, for a total value of $62,511.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,055.82. This trade represents a 8.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John W. Casella sold 6,726 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 19.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 15,830 shares of company stock worth $1,454,208 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.81% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of Casella Waste Systems
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 10,865.8% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 990,651 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $97,040,000 after purchasing an additional 981,617 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 60.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,306,780 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $225,926,000 after acquiring an additional 871,761 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 1,106.7% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 867,285 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $100,067,000 after acquiring an additional 795,414 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 653.2% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 841,897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $82,455,000 after purchasing an additional 730,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,574,893 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $643,945,000 after purchasing an additional 581,310 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.