Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Shares Acquired by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 96,493 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 8,753 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $13,571,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMS. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 11.6% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 7,487 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $890,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,741,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 61.4% during the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 9,606 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,141,000 after buying an additional 3,653 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the first quarter valued at approximately $472,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 20.7% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 129,613 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,325,000 after buying an additional 22,202 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $159.13.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 0.1 %

WMS opened at $156.73 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $164.91 and its 200-day moving average is $138.60. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $80.41 and a 52-week high of $176.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $662.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $632.69 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.65% and a return on equity of 49.79%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total value of $1,635,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,199,344. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total value of $124,351,885.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 70,749 shares in the company, valued at $11,532,087. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total transaction of $1,635,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,199,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products, and drainage solutions for use in the construction and agriculture marketplaces in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments.