AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Sells 5,859 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc reduced its position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 2.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 207,677 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 5,859 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned 0.27% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $22,554,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMS. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 63.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,064,527 shares of the construction company's stock worth $238,659,000 after buying an additional 799,569 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $86,185,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 34.6% in the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,530,000 shares of the construction company's stock worth $291,723,000 after buying an additional 650,052 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 45.8% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,732,827 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $200,315,000 after purchasing an additional 544,109 shares during the period. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,997,000. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:WMS traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $114.96. The stock had a trading volume of 660,577 shares, compared to its average volume of 607,837. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $93.92 and a one year high of $179.57. The company has a market capitalization of $8.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.22, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $110.45 and a 200 day moving average of $116.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The construction company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.09 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $615.76 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $653.22 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 35.79% and a net margin of 15.90%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This is a boost from Advanced Drainage Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WMS. UBS Group dropped their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $155.00 to $146.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 16th. Loop Capital dropped their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $143.00 to $133.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 16th. KeyCorp reduced their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays increased their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $146.00 to $141.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $139.88.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.