Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group trimmed its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.9% (sold 70,393 shares) to 7.41M shares, leaving it with about 9.53% ownership valued at $1.073 billion; institutional investors own roughly 89.83% of the stock.
• Wall Street sentiment is generally positive—seven analysts rate WMS a Buy and one a Hold, giving a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $190.29.
• Advanced Drainage recently beat expectations with Q4 EPS $1.27 (vs. $1.11 est.) and $693.35M in revenue, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.18 (annualized $0.72, ~0.5% yield).

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,410,388 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 70,393 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.53% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $1,073,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 352.0% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,242.1% in the third quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 255 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, February 6th. KeyCorp upped their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays reduced their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $198.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $176.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $190.29.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE WMS opened at $147.64 on Friday. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $104.69 and a 12 month high of $179.32. The company has a market cap of $11.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 3.08, a current ratio of 4.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $150.18.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $693.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $686.37 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 15.75%.Advanced Drainage Systems's revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.19 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems's payout ratio is presently 11.98%.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.

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