Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Shares Acquired by Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 30.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 313,063 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 73,100 shares during the quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC owned about 0.40% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $36,190,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 781 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 884 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,005 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC raised its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,298.6% in the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 948 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

NYSE:WMS opened at $100.82 on Friday. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.39 and a 52 week high of $184.27. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $7.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.48.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The construction company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.25). Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 35.79% and a net margin of 15.90%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Loop Capital cut their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $160.89.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products in North America and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments. It offers single, double, and triple wall corrugated polypropylene and polyethylene pipes; plastic leachfield chambers and systems; EZflow synthetic aggregate bundles; wastewater purification through mechanical aeration wastewater for residential and commercial systems; septic tanks and accessories; combined treatment and dispersal systems, including advanced enviro-septic and advanced treatment leachfield systems; and allied products, including storm retention/detention and septic chambers, polyvinyl chloride drainage structures, fittings, and water quality filters and separators.