United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Makes New $708,000 Investment in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 4,510 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $708,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hill City Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $75,340,800. Hamilton Capital LLC bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the second quarter worth approximately $218,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the second quarter worth approximately $8,661,000. Blue Edge Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the second quarter valued at approximately $630,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the second quarter valued at approximately $54,905,000. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMS opened at $137.11 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $128.03 and a 12 month high of $179.32. The company has a market capitalization of $10.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.68, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $145.99 and its 200 day moving average is $146.29.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.39. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 28.28%. The business had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $991.39 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.95 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Stephens raised Advanced Drainage Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $190.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. National Bank Financial set a $190.00 price target on Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Monday, August 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $181.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $188.70.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc (NYSE: WMS) is a leading manufacturer and supplier of water management solutions in North America. Headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, the company specializes in the design, production and distribution of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) drainage pipe and related products. Its core business addresses stormwater management, on-site septic systems and erosion control for residential, commercial and infrastructure projects.

The company’s product portfolio includes corrugated plastic pipe, tubing, fittings, geocells, geogrids and stormwater structures such as inlets, manholes and detention/retention systems.