Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) saw a large decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 3,602,775 shares, a decline of 12.4% from the February 12th total of 4,114,877 shares. Currently, 5.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 928,021 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 928,021 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.9 days. Currently, 5.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Casella Waste Systems News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Casella Waste Systems this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company hired an industry executive as Chief Revenue Officer, signaling renewed emphasis on top‑line growth and commercial execution — a catalyst investors view positively for revenue acceleration. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. Announces Hiring of Industry Executive as Chief Revenue Officer
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Edmond Coletta disclosed small open‑market sales (377 shares on Mar 12 at ~$89.80 and 988 shares on Mar 16 at ~$87.81). These represent fractional reductions in holdings and appear consistent with routine liquidity rather than a firm‑level warning. SEC Form 4 — CEO Sales
• Neutral Sentiment: CAO Kevin Drohan made modest sales (85 shares on Mar 16 and 55 shares on Mar 12), small in size and likely personal/portfolio related. SEC Form 4 — CAO Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Director John W. Casella sold larger blocks (1,744 shares on Mar 16 at ~$87.77 and 963 shares on Mar 12 at ~$90.06), reducing his stake by several percent — director sales of this scale can weigh on sentiment because they materially lower insider ownership. SEC Form 4 — Director Sales
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Bradford John Helgeson sold 405 shares on Mar 16 (~$87.73), a ~5% reduction in his holdings; sales by a senior finance officer may raise more questions from investors about timing or tax/liquidity motives. SEC Form 4 — CFO Sale

Casella Waste Systems Stock Performance

Shares of CWST stock opened at $88.46 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 737.23 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $99.59 and its 200 day moving average is $95.29. Casella Waste Systems has a 12 month low of $82.22 and a 12 month high of $121.24.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $469.06 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $471.32 million. Casella Waste Systems had a net margin of 0.43% and a return on equity of 5.17%. Casella Waste Systems’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.41 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Casella Waste Systems will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CWST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $120.00 price objective on Casella Waste Systems and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Casella Waste Systems in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Casella Waste Systems from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut Casella Waste Systems from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Casella Waste Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $113.11.

Insider Activity at Casella Waste Systems

In other Casella Waste Systems news, CFO Bradford John Helgeson sold 405 shares of Casella Waste Systems stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.73, for a total value of $35,530.65. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 7,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,113.66. The trade was a 5.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Kevin Drohan sold 675 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.61, for a total transaction of $62,511.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $691,055.82. This represents a 8.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 15,830 shares of company stock worth $1,454,208 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Casella Waste Systems

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Casella Waste Systems by 57.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 9,283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,035,000 after buying an additional 3,395 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 1,601.9% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,412 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $603,000 after buying an additional 5,094 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 3,226.1% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 69,849 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,789,000 after buying an additional 67,749 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 301.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 245 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Casella Waste Systems by 0.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,500,083 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $173,101,000 after acquiring an additional 12,016 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.51% of the company’s stock.

About Casella Waste Systems

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.