Baird Financial Group Inc. Has $20.11 Million Stock Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group increased its Advanced Drainage Systems stake by 560.7% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 128,123 shares worth approximately $20.11 million. Institutional investors collectively own 89.83% of WMS.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with the stock receiving a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $188.70. Ratings include one Strong Buy, seven Buys and two Holds.
• Advanced Drainage Systems exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.49 in EPS versus the $2.10 consensus and $1 billion in revenue, up 20.6% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share.

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 560.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 128,123 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 108,732 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.17% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $20,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMS. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,170 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 16,007 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,318,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 1,961 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 377 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.1% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 244 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WMS. Robert W. Baird set a $206.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, August 7th. Stephens raised shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $175.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, July 17th. National Bank Financial set a $190.00 price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $188.70.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

NYSE WMS opened at $128.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.13, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.77. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $126.39 and a 12-month high of $179.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $991.39 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 28.28%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.95 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.82%.

Advanced Drainage Systems Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc NYSE: WMS designs and manufactures water management products for the construction, infrastructure, agriculture and residential markets. Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, the company is known for its thermoplastic corrugated pipe and related systems used to collect, convey, store and manage stormwater and wastewater.

Its product portfolio includes stormwater detention and infiltration systems, sanitary and septic sewer products, agricultural drainage systems, erosion and sediment control products, and water-quality solutions.

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