Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Shares Sold by AIA Group Ltd

AIA Group Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 33.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,370 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 14,226 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $3,280,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 781 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,005 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,390 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,812 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $231,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 884 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

WMS stock opened at $108.62 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $116.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $129.92. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $101.90 and a 12 month 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 (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 10.70%.

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.