Rathbones Group PLC Sells 5,073 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Rathbones Group PLC cut its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 152,152 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 5,073 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $22,036,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 32.9% during the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,122 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,901,000 after buying an additional 6,960 shares in the last quarter. Pier Capital LLC grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 69,891.7% during the fourth quarter. Pier Capital LLC now owns 50,394 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,299,000 after buying an additional 50,322 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the third quarter worth about $24,314,000. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 345.7% during the third quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 42,898 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,950,000 after buying an additional 33,274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 85.9% during the third quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 135,912 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $18,851,000 after buying an additional 62,809 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE WMS opened at $135.30 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.12, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $142.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $150.18. The company has a market capitalization of $10.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.51, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.33. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $105.14 and a 1-year high of $179.32.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $676.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $651.92 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 15.75%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMS shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group set a $215.00 target price on Advanced Drainage Systems and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 target price on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, February 6th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $198.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.83.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.