7,202 Shares in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Acquired by Strs Ohio

Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 7,202 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,012,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMS. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,122,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,445,326 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $164,521,000 after buying an additional 169,517 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $17,074,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,385,780 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $157,743,000 after buying an additional 104,272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Scopus Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,472.8% during the 3rd quarter. Scopus Asset Management L.P. now owns 75,461 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,590,000 after buying an additional 70,663 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of WMS opened at $160.32 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.50. The company’s fifty day moving average is $164.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.85. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $80.41 and a 1 year high of $176.31.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $662.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $632.69 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.65% and a return on equity of 49.79%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Advanced Drainage Systems

In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total value of $124,351,885.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 70,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,532,087. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total transaction of $124,351,885.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 70,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,532,087. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total transaction of $1,635,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,199,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WMS shares. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.13.

Advanced Drainage Systems Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products, and drainage solutions for use in the construction and agriculture marketplaces in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments.