Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. Buys 36,469 Shares of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST)

Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. grew its position in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST - Free Report) by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 375,212 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 36,469 shares during the period. Casella Waste Systems accounts for approximately 2.4% of Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. owned 0.65% of Casella Waste Systems worth $37,330,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Amalgamated Bank boosted its position in Casella Waste Systems by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 2,110 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,730 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $767,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 76.4% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 321 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its position in Casella Waste Systems by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 16,286 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,610,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 1.8% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 10,436 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,035,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CWST shares. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price objective (up previously from $110.00) on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Monday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Casella Waste Systems from $114.00 to $107.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. William Blair initiated coverage on Casella Waste Systems in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on Casella Waste Systems from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $111.50.

Insider Activity at Casella Waste Systems

In other news, SVP Paul Ligon sold 1,730 shares of Casella Waste Systems stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.81, for a total transaction of $184,781.30. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 21,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,252,088.85. The trade was a 7.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 4.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Casella Waste Systems Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:CWST traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $109.05. 278,757 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 315,717. The company's 50 day moving average is $102.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.78. The company has a quick ratio of 2.48, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $6.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 911.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.31 and a beta of 0.99. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.16 and a twelve month high of $111.01.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $411.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $412.59 million. Casella Waste Systems had a return on equity of 3.04% and a net margin of 0.46%. Casella Waste Systems's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.35 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 0.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.