Inspire Investing LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 18,169.7% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 12,058 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 11,992 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $1,653,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 406.0% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 27,302 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,954,000 after acquiring an additional 21,906 shares in the last quarter. Pier Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 69,891.7% in the fourth quarter. Pier Capital LLC now owns 50,394 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,299,000 after purchasing an additional 50,322 shares in the last quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 166,469 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $24,110,000 after purchasing an additional 30,557 shares during the period. Elevatus Welath Management bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter valued at $2,600,000. Finally, Interval Partners LP lifted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 98.0% during the 3rd quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 968,534 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,336,000 after purchasing an additional 479,413 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

WMS stock opened at $157.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $141.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $148.80. The stock has a market cap of $12.04 billion, a PE ratio of 28.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.29. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $109.63 and a one year high of $179.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

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, 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 posted $1.03 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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 0.5%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WMS shares. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $198.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research cut shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $185.75.

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.