Earnest Partners LLC Cuts Stake in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST)

Earnest Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,615,734 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 12,305 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC owned 2.55% of Casella Waste Systems worth $170,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 87.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 78,549 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,815,000 after buying an additional 36,573 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 607,954 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $64,328,000 after purchasing an additional 14,369 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $201,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,979 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. 99.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CWST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $127.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Casella Waste Systems from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $115.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $130.00 target price for the company. UBS Group boosted their target price 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. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $122.67.

Insider Transactions at Casella Waste Systems

In related news, SVP Paul Ligon sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.67, for a total transaction of $237,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,347 shares in the company, valued at $2,414,578.49. The trade was a 8.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.24% of the company's stock.

Casella Waste Systems Stock Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ CWST traded up $1.09 on Tuesday, hitting $117.27. The stock had a trading volume of 366,305 shares, compared to its average volume of 361,541. The business's fifty day moving average price is $111.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 2.48. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $88.89 and a 52-week high of $120.69. The stock has a market cap of $7.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 509.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.96.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.25. Casella Waste Systems had a net margin of 0.87% and a return on equity of 4.15%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current year.

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.