Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) Shares Purchased by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) by 71.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,497 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,038 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Casella Waste Systems were worth $264,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CWST. Zimmer Partners LP acquired a new stake in Casella Waste Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $50,854,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Casella Waste Systems by 50.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,454,453 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $144,704,000 after acquiring an additional 487,661 shares during the period. Maven Securities LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $19,898,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its position in Casella Waste Systems by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 848,976 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $84,465,000 after buying an additional 151,744 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in Casella Waste Systems in the third quarter valued at about $14,924,000. 99.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Paul Ligon sold 1,730 shares of Casella Waste Systems stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.81, for a total transaction of $184,781.30. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 21,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,252,088.85. The trade was a 7.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 4.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Casella Waste Systems Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of CWST opened at $108.94 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 907.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $84.45 and a twelve month high of $114.88. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $108.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.48.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CWST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Casella Waste Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $115.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $114.00 to $107.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Casella Waste Systems from $117.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $113.80.

Casella Waste Systems Company Profile

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.