Bell Asset Management Ltd Has $3.59 Million Stock Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Bell Asset Management Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 47.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,911 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 23,777 shares during the period. Bell Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $3,594,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 352.0% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,242.1% in the third quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 255 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 16.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 702 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMS. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $187.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $176.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMS opened at $146.22 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $160.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $149.85. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.92 and a fifty-two week high of $179.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 4.12 and a quick ratio of 3.08.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.16. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 15.75%.The firm had revenue of $693.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $686.37 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.98%.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

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.