Lazard Asset Management LLC Makes New Investment in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST)

Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 54,130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,351,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Casella Waste Systems by 1.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,536,410 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $547,385,000 after buying an additional 57,540 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Casella Waste Systems by 7.7% during the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,284,975 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $324,785,000 after buying an additional 235,260 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its position in Casella Waste Systems by 45.9% during the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 1,311,917 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $112,116,000 after buying an additional 412,812 shares in the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC grew its position in Casella Waste Systems by 9.3% during the first quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,062,203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $105,020,000 after buying an additional 90,161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Casella Waste Systems by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 983,826 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $84,078,000 after purchasing an additional 148,913 shares during the last quarter. 99.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Casella Waste Systems Trading Up 0.8 %

CWST opened at $102.71 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 328.77, a PEG ratio of 6.45 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.50. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $72.97 and a one year high of $108.59.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The industrial products company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.01. Casella Waste Systems had a return on equity of 4.47% and a net margin of 1.32%. The firm had revenue of $341.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $340.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.10 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Casella Waste Systems, Inc. will post 0.79 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Casella Waste Systems in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $106.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.40.

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.