Retirement Systems of Alabama Has $12.08 Million Stock Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 85,867 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 598 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $12,076,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the third quarter worth $25,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WMS. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stephens upped their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.13.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of WMS opened at $158.52 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.20, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.51. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $81.25 and a one year high of $176.31. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 3.03 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Advanced Drainage Systems

In other news, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 70,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,532,087. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total transaction of $1,635,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,199,344. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 70,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,532,087. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.