FIL Ltd Buys 86,452 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

FIL Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 31.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 359,955 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 86,452 shares during the period. FIL Ltd owned about 0.46% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $41,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMS. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 781 shares of the construction company's stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $94,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 884 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,298.6% in the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the construction company's stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 948 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of WMS traded down $0.48 on Wednesday, reaching $104.46. The stock had a trading volume of 50,441 shares, compared to its average volume of 573,231. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.84. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.92 and a 12-month high of $184.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 3.21.

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $149.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group raised shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $155.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $153.78.

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.