Boston Partners Raises Stock Position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 16.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,519,118 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 219,629 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned approximately 1.96% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $261,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 319.4% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 151 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the first quarter valued at $32,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Tobam acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the first quarter valued at $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total value of $648,584.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,530 shares in the company, valued at $773,180.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, EVP Robert M. Klein sold 3,059 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.95, for a total transaction of $538,231.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 102,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,959,216.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total transaction of $648,584.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $773,180.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 176,004 shares of company stock valued at $30,547,285 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 4.5 %

WMS stock traded down $7.62 during trading on Friday, reaching $161.53. 451,204 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 488,146. The company has a current ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $166.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $162.11. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.32 and a 1 year high of $184.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.55.

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This is an increase from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is 9.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on WMS shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $182.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.88.

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.