Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS Stock Position Trimmed by Liontrust Investment Partners LLP

Key Points

• Liontrust Investment Partners cut its Advanced Drainage Systems stake by 8.5% in the first quarter, selling 48,791 shares and retaining 524,782 shares valued at approximately $72 million. Institutional investors collectively own 89.83% of WMS.
• Advanced Drainage Systems reported quarterly EPS of $1.07, beating estimates of $0.95, while revenue rose 9.9% year over year to $676.76 million. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.20 per share, or $0.80 annually.
• WMS shares opened at $137.83, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $187, despite mixed individual ratings.

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP decreased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 8.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 524,782 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 48,791 shares during the period. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP owned approximately 0.67% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $71,963,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 352.0% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of WMS stock opened at $137.83 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.39. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $110.85 and a fifty-two week high of $179.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $676.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $651.92 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. Advanced Drainage Systems's revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were paid 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Stephens raised shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $181.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $187.00.

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.

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