BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Increases Stock Position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 3.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,544 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 987 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $5,261,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 29.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 273 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 20,504 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,532,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 32,367 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,552,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 28,848 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,057,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 25,233 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,872,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 85,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $8,007,555.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 85,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 45,994 shares in the company, valued at $8,007,555.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.58, for a total transaction of $1,725,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,246,890.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 176,004 shares of company stock worth $30,547,285. 2.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp raised their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective 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. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.88.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

WMS stock traded up $0.80 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $153.79. The company had a trading volume of 98,622 shares, compared to its average volume of 481,317. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.55. 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 of $167.46 and a 200 day moving average of $158.20. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $102.32 and a fifty-two week high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.99 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.06 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This is a positive change 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 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.94%.

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.