Natixis Has $11.26 Million Stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

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

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 29.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 273 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 15.6% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 490 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.5% during the first quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 20,504 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,532,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 319.4% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 151 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 32,367 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,552,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

NYSE:WMS traded up $4.85 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $168.19. The stock had a trading volume of 576,903 shares, compared to its average volume of 482,601. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.12, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.55. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.32 and a 1-year high of $184.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 2.96 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $167.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $160.35.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $653.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $611.99 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.74% and a return on equity of 46.93%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.06 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMS has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.88.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Drainage Systems

In other news, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 85,938 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.10, for a total value of $14,961,805.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,994 shares in the company, valued at $8,007,555.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,246,890.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 85,938 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.10, for a total value of $14,961,805.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,007,555.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 176,004 shares of company stock worth $30,547,285 over the last three months. 2.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.