D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Buys 43,170 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 26.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 207,284 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 43,170 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.27% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $23,962,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 781 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $94,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 884 shares of the construction company's stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,005 shares of the construction company's stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,298.6% during the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the construction company's stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 948 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

WMS stock traded down $3.47 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $118.21. 2,237,077 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 598,251. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.92 and a 52-week high of $184.27. The stock has a market cap of $9.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.77, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stock's 50-day moving average is $109.37 and its 200 day moving average is $119.96.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The construction company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by ($0.06). Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 15.90% and a return on equity of 35.79%. The business had revenue of $615.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $653.22 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.61%. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMS has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $149.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $149.25.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products in North America and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments. It offers single, double, and triple wall corrugated polypropylene and polyethylene pipes; plastic leachfield chambers and systems; EZflow synthetic aggregate bundles; wastewater purification through mechanical aeration wastewater for residential and commercial systems; septic tanks and accessories; combined treatment and dispersal systems, including advanced enviro-septic and advanced treatment leachfield systems; and allied products, including storm retention/detention and septic chambers, polyvinyl chloride drainage structures, fittings, and water quality filters and separators.