Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Reduces Stake in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. $CWST

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH reduced its holdings in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST - Free Report) by 43.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,393 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 35,024 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.07% of Casella Waste Systems worth $4,544,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,708,528 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $351,865,000 after purchasing an additional 296,405 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 7.3% during the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,876,061 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $272,881,000 after purchasing an additional 195,947 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 39.3% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,010,818 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $190,786,000 after buying an additional 566,887 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,809,867 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $171,720,000 after acquiring an additional 9,712 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,647,907 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $156,353,000 after purchasing an additional 95,600 shares in the last quarter. 99.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Casella Waste Systems Stock Up 1.3%

CWST stock opened at $77.75 on Wednesday. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $74.05 and a one year high of $121.24. The firm has a market cap of $4.94 billion, a PE ratio of 647.97 and a beta of 0.84. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $86.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.08. Casella Waste Systems had a return on equity of 5.17% and a net margin of 0.43%.The company had revenue of $469.06 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $471.32 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 1.15 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CWST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Casella Waste Systems from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded Casella Waste Systems from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Barclays boosted their price objective on 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded Casella Waste Systems from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $120.00 price target on Casella Waste Systems and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Casella Waste Systems currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $111.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Casella Waste Systems news, CEO John W. Casella sold 6,726 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.10, for a total transaction of $626,190.60. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Edmond Coletta sold 3,812 shares of Casella Waste Systems stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.70, for a total transaction of $357,184.40. Following the sale, the president owned 147,091 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,782,426.70. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,830 shares of company stock valued at $1,454,208. 3.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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