Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS Stake Cut by Aberdeen Group plc

Aberdeen Group plc lessened its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 287,913 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 51,208 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.37% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $39,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 352.0% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased 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 worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 341.6% in the second quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 658 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert M. Eversole sold 10,569 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.82, for a total transaction of $1,615,154.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 50,076 shares in the company, valued at $7,652,614.32. This represents a 17.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Up 1.9%

Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $170.99 on Tuesday. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.92 and a fifty-two week high of $179.32. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $155.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $146.45. The firm has a market cap of $13.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.34.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $693.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $686.37 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.98%.

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.