Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) Shares Bought by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST - Free Report) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,450 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,392 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Casella Waste Systems worth $3,963,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 1,606.7% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 256 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 124.4% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 276 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 156.5% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 318 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 171.6% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 364 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the fourth quarter worth $58,000. 99.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Casella Waste Systems Stock Performance

Shares of Casella Waste Systems stock traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $117.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 366,305 shares, compared to its average volume of 361,304. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 2.48 and a current ratio of 2.00. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $88.86 and a one year high of $120.69. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $111.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $108.95. The stock has a market cap of $7.43 billion, a P/E 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 earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.25. Casella Waste Systems had a return on equity of 4.15% and a net margin of 0.87%. As a group, analysts expect that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 1.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Paul Ligon sold 2,000 shares of Casella Waste Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.67, for a total transaction of $237,340.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 20,347 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,414,578.49. The trade was a 8.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 4.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on 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 cut Casella Waste Systems from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $115.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $130.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Raymond James reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Two 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 MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $122.67.

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.