MetLife Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST)

MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 35,058 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 2,049 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Casella Waste Systems were worth $3,488,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CWST. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 21.8% in 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 purchasing an additional 151,744 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems in the 3rd quarter worth about $14,924,000. F M Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems in the 2nd quarter worth about $11,093,000. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,386,970 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $336,055,000 after buying an additional 101,995 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seven Grand Managers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Casella Waste Systems in the 3rd quarter worth about $9,999,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.51% of the company’s stock.

Casella Waste Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CWST opened at $113.93 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.21 billion, a PE ratio of 949.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.75 and a beta of 1.02. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $104.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.77. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $80.04 and a one year high of $114.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 2.48 and a current ratio of 2.55.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $411.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $412.59 million. Casella Waste Systems had a return on equity of 3.04% and a net margin of 0.46%. The business’s revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.35 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 0.65 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Casella Waste Systems

In other news, SVP Paul Ligon sold 1,730 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.81, for a total transaction of $184,781.30. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 21,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,252,088.85. This trade represents a 7.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 4.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Casella Waste Systems from $114.00 to $107.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $111.50.

Casella Waste Systems 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.