Impax Asset Management Group plc Purchases Shares of 60,000 Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST)

Impax Asset Management Group plc purchased a new stake in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 60,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $5,128,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc owned approximately 0.10% of Casella Waste Systems as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 110.2% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,266,848 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $104,718,000 after purchasing an additional 664,068 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 16.3% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,801,906 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $343,882,000 after buying an additional 532,019 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,106,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Casella Waste Systems by 269.6% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 483,413 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $42,372,000 after acquiring an additional 352,620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, London Co. of Virginia lifted its position in Casella Waste Systems by 160.8% during the third quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 567,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $43,319,000 after acquiring an additional 350,046 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.51% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Casella Waste Systems

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

Casella Waste Systems Stock Performance

Shares of CWST stock traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $97.18. The stock had a trading volume of 248,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 292,066. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $72.97 and a 1-year high of $100.29. The firm has a market cap of $5.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 214.76, a PEG ratio of 6.21 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The business's fifty day moving average is $93.07 and its 200-day moving average is $85.39.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The industrial products company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $359.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $360.08 million. Casella Waste Systems had a return on equity of 5.81% and a net margin of 2.01%. Casella Waste Systems's quarterly revenue was up 32.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.18 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 0.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CWST. StockNews.com raised Casella Waste Systems from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Casella Waste Systems from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $99.71.

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.