KBC Group NV Acquires 14,915 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 1.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 916,981 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 14,915 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $125,746,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 352.0% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.1% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 244 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMS. Stephens upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $190.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Advanced Drainage Systems has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

NYSE WMS opened at $147.62 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $142.09 and a 200-day moving average of $148.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.42. The stock has a market cap of $11.31 billion, a PE ratio of 27.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.26. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $110.79 and a 52-week high of $179.32.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $676.76 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $651.92 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. Advanced Drainage Systems’s revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.55 EPS for the current 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 dividend of $0.20 per share. This is a boost from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.71%.

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.