Mather Group LLC. Trims Stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Mather Group LLC. reduced its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 88.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 224 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,655 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $39,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 14.1% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 43,567 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,959,000 after acquiring an additional 5,382 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 25,233 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,872,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 114.3% in the third quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 116,059 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $13,230,000 after acquiring an additional 61,900 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.8% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 647,436 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $73,698,000 after acquiring an additional 11,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 6.7% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 159,023 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $18,102,000 after acquiring an additional 9,927 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on WMS shares. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Stephens upped their price target 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 upgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.88.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMS opened at $166.44 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $12.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $167.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $156.47. The company has a current ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $102.32 and a 12 month high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $653.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.99 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.17 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a $0.16 dividend. 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 0.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 4,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $773,180.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, 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 value of $1,725,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,225 shares in the company, valued at $1,246,890.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total transaction of $648,584.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $773,180.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 176,004 shares of company stock valued at $30,547,285 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

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.