Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Lowers Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lessened its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 25.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 9,050 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,100 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $1,273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,878,726 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $783,005,000 after purchasing an additional 65,038 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 13.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 8.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,120,769 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $127,552,000 after buying an additional 8,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 692,211 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $78,794,000 after buying an additional 20,947 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 2.4 %

Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $160.32 on Wednesday. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $80.41 and a 52-week high of $176.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company has a market cap 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.85.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $662.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $632.69 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,199,344. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total value 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 $2,199,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.