1,300 Shares in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Bought by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,300 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $224,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Advanced Drainage Systems

In other news, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 85,938 shares of the company’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 directly owns 45,994 shares in the company, valued at $8,007,555.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other 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 transaction of $14,961,805.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,007,555.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert M. Klein sold 3,059 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.95, for a total transaction of $538,231.05. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 102,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,959,216.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 176,004 shares of company stock worth $30,547,285. Insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stephens boosted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $182.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted 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 note on Thursday, April 18th. 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, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.88.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE WMS opened at $156.71 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $12.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.58. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $168.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $157.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $102.32 and a 52-week high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $653.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.99 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 46.93% and a net margin of 17.74%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.06 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This is a boost from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.94%.

Advanced Drainage Systems 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.