Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) Short Interest Up 9.4% in March

Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,630,000 shares, an increase of 9.4% from the February 29th total of 1,490,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 290,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.6 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on CWST. StockNews.com raised shares of Casella Waste Systems from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Casella Waste Systems has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $99.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Edmond Coletta sold 8,271 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.30, for a total transaction of $746,871.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 168,556 shares in the company, valued at $15,220,606.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Casella Waste Systems news, CEO John W. Casella sold 1,673 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.13, for a total transaction of $157,479.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 35,189 shares in the company, valued at $3,312,340.57. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Edmond Coletta sold 8,271 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.30, for a total transaction of $746,871.30. Following the transaction, the president now owns 168,556 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,220,606.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,238 shares of company stock worth $1,026,395. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Republic Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,951 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $869,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 42.2% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 475 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,513 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 9,155 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $828,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $229,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.51% of the company's stock.

Casella Waste Systems Stock Down 2.3 %

NASDAQ CWST traded down $2.21 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $95.04. 345,193 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 295,381. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The firm has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 211.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.43 and a beta of 0.90. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $91.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $84.82. Casella Waste Systems has a 12-month low of $72.97 and a 12-month high of $100.29.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The industrial products company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.16 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $359.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $360.08 million. Casella Waste Systems had a net margin of 2.01% and a return on equity of 5.81%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 32.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.18 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Casella Waste Systems will post 0.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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