Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) Shares Down 5.2% – Should You Sell?

Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST)’s share price fell 5.2% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $97.07 and last traded at $96.0310. 38,578 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 594,236 shares. The stock had previously closed at $101.28.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CWST. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Casella Waste Systems and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $112.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised Casella Waste Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $114.33.

Casella Waste Systems Trading Down 3.3%

The firm has a market capitalization of $6.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 406.73 and a beta of 0.79. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $102.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $469.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $471.32 million. Casella Waste Systems had a return on equity of 5.63% and a net margin of 0.85%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.41 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 1.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Casella Waste Systems

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CWST. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 325.5% during the second quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 217 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 301.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 245 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in Casella Waste Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.51% of the company’s stock.

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.