Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Shares Sold by Natixis

Natixis reduced its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 29.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 65,375 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 27,558 shares during the period. Natixis owned 0.08% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $11,260,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,265,169 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,251,353,000 after purchasing an additional 395,099 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,299,489 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $182,737,000 after purchasing an additional 178,720 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 659,483 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $92,750,000 after purchasing an additional 289,925 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 633,392 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $89,086,000 after purchasing an additional 15,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $88,640,000. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMS. Stephens boosted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $182.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.88.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE WMS traded up $4.85 during trading on Thursday, hitting $168.19. 576,903 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 482,601. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $167.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $160.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.32 and a 1 year high of $184.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.55.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $653.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.99 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 46.93% and a net margin of 17.74%. The company’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.06 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.19 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is 9.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total value of $648,584.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $773,180.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total transaction of $648,584.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $773,180.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.58, for a total value of $1,725,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,225 shares in the company, valued at $1,246,890.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 176,004 shares of company stock valued at $30,547,285. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company 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.