Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC cut its stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST - Free Report) by 6.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,602 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,830 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned 0.07% of Casella Waste Systems worth $4,751,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CWST. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 48.2% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,577,308 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $272,705,000 after acquiring an additional 838,086 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $43,785,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Casella Waste Systems in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,326,000. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 1,368.2% in the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 279,743 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,600,000 after purchasing an additional 260,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Casella Waste Systems during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,907,000. 99.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Edmond Coletta sold 5,562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.18, for a total value of $662,879.16. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 150,093 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,888,083.74. This trade represents a 3.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Paul Ligon sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.67, for a total value of $237,340.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,414,578.49. This represents a 8.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.81% of the company's stock.

Casella Waste Systems Trading Up 1.8%

Casella Waste Systems stock traded up $2.09 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $116.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 423,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 390,353. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $116.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.87. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.01 and a 12 month high of $121.24. The stock has a market cap of $7.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 529.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.86.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $417.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $403.64 million. Casella Waste Systems had a return on equity of 4.69% and a net margin of 0.79%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 22.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.15 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 1.16 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on CWST shares. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research note on Friday, June 6th. TD Cowen started coverage on Casella Waste Systems in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $130.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Casella Waste Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $122.67.

About Casella Waste Systems

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.