Blue Trust Inc. Acquires 724 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 418.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 897 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 724 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $144,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 15.6% in the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 490 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 18.1% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 555 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 10.3% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,020 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 133.3% in the second quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 175 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 319.4% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 151 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays decreased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $202.00 to $194.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $200.00 to $187.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $192.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.14.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $150.07 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $152.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $160.31. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $102.32 and a 12-month high of $184.27. The company has a market capitalization of $11.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a current ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The construction company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $815.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $828.00 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 43.60% and a net margin of 17.09%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.94%.

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.