Dayah Capital LLC Makes New Investment in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Dayah Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 12,801 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,755,000. Advanced Drainage Systems comprises 0.7% of Dayah Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 352.0% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.8% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,049 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,418,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 14.0% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,784 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 588 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the second quarter worth $403,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.2% during the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 101,512 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $11,660,000 after purchasing an additional 2,206 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $137.83 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $148.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.42. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $110.85 and a one year high of $179.32. The company has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a PE ratio of 25.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.26.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.12. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 26.63%. The firm had revenue of $676.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $651.92 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research raised Advanced Drainage Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Stephens raised Advanced Drainage Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.00.

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.