Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS Shares Bought by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 31.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,930 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,200 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $3,176,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMS. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $156,587,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 234.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,188,906 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $164,901,000 after acquiring an additional 832,929 shares during the period. Interval Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 98.0% during the third quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 968,534 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $134,336,000 after acquiring an additional 479,413 shares during the period. SG Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the third quarter valued at $45,591,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 586.9% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 285,810 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $39,642,000 after acquiring an additional 244,202 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

WMS stock opened at $135.53 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.91, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.38. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.63 and a fifty-two week high of $179.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $676.76 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $651.92 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 26.63%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.03 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WMS shares. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $198.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Stephens raised shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $190.00 to $175.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Monday, April 20th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.29.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company 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.