Cerity Partners LLC Has $3.98 Million Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,402 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,970 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $3,977,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMS. MML Investors Services LLC raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 2,607 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 4.2% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,249 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,182,000 after purchasing an additional 819 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,186,878 shares of the construction company's stock worth $186,578,000 after buying an additional 59,158 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 31.8% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,011 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $230,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on WMS. StockNews.com cut shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. UBS Group upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $155.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays cut their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $149.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $153.78.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

NYSE WMS traded up $0.82 on Friday, hitting $104.44. 377,074 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 573,517. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $93.92 and a 1-year high of $184.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $111.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $125.33. 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 company has a market cap of $8.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.48.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The construction company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.25). Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 35.79% and a net margin of 15.90%. On average, equities analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.61%. Advanced Drainage Systems's payout ratio is currently 10.70%.

Advanced Drainage Systems 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.