Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 43.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,749 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 8,389 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $1,243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMS. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 15.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 562,052 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $88,332,000 after acquiring an additional 75,008 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 28,432 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,468,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter worth $939,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 20.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 74,568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $11,953,000 after buying an additional 12,559 shares during the period. Finally, Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 180.3% during the 3rd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 20,465 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,216,000 after acquiring an additional 13,165 shares during the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $149.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised Advanced Drainage Systems from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $164.25.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WMS opened at $111.15 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $117.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.82. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $101.90 and a fifty-two week high of $184.27. The company has a market cap of $8.62 billion, a PE ratio of 18.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.70%.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.