Candriam S.C.A. Sells 55,319 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Candriam S.C.A. cut its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 39.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 86,301 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 55,319 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A. owned 0.11% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $9,976,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 8.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,541,688 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $399,452,000 after buying an additional 206,105 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 34.6% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,530,000 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $291,723,000 after buying an additional 650,052 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.8% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,384,276 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $217,553,000 after buying an additional 75,455 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,186,878 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $186,578,000 after buying an additional 59,158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 21.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 738,749 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $85,399,000 after buying an additional 129,252 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

NYSE:WMS opened at $114.96 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.61. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $119.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $135.02. The company has a current ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.90 and a 1-year high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The construction company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.25). Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 35.79% and a net margin of 15.90%. Research analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMS. Barclays decreased their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $149.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $174.00 to $161.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.25.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products in North America and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments. It offers single, double, and triple wall corrugated polypropylene and polyethylene pipes; plastic leachfield chambers and systems; EZflow synthetic aggregate bundles; wastewater purification through mechanical aeration wastewater for residential and commercial systems; septic tanks and accessories; combined treatment and dispersal systems, including advanced enviro-septic and advanced treatment leachfield systems; and allied products, including storm retention/detention and septic chambers, polyvinyl chloride drainage structures, fittings, and water quality filters and separators.