Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS Shares Sold by Jones Financial Companies Lllp

Jones Financial Companies Lllp trimmed its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 60.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,104 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,210 shares during the quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at $90,989,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,209.7% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 260,607 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,933,000 after buying an additional 240,709 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 327.3% in the second quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 235,000 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,992,000 after buying an additional 180,000 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the third quarter worth approximately $24,314,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 363.7% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 187,270 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $21,509,000 after acquiring an additional 146,884 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, Director Robert M. Eversole sold 10,569 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.82, for a total value of $1,615,154.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 50,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,652,614.32. The trade was a 17.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:WMS opened at $170.99 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $155.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $146.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a current ratio of 4.12. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $93.92 and a 52 week high of $179.32.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.16. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 15.75% and a return on equity of 27.72%. The company had revenue of $693.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $686.37 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WMS shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $187.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 target price on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $186.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc (NYSE: WMS) is a leading manufacturer and supplier of water management solutions in North America. Headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, the company specializes in the design, production and distribution of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) drainage pipe and related products. Its core business addresses stormwater management, on-site septic systems and erosion control for residential, commercial and infrastructure projects.

The company’s product portfolio includes corrugated plastic pipe, tubing, fittings, geocells, geogrids and stormwater structures such as inlets, manholes and detention/retention systems.