Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors increased its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.4% to 1,138,378 shares (about 1.46% of the company), and institutional investors now own roughly 89.83% of the stock.
• Advanced Drainage beat quarterly expectations with $1.27 EPS vs. $1.11 expected and $693.35M in revenue, showing a strong ROE (27.72%) and net margin (15.75%); the stock has a market cap of $11.7B and a PE of 24.99.
• Analysts have been raising targets (UBS $215, Oppenheimer $200, KeyCorp $198, Barclays $198), leaving a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $186 target; the company also pays a $0.18 quarterly dividend (0.5% yield, ex-dividend Mar 2).

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,138,378 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,118 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.46% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $157,889,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMS. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 32.9% during the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,122 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,901,000 after purchasing an additional 6,960 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $24,314,000. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 345.7% in the 3rd quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 42,898 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,950,000 after purchasing an additional 33,274 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,321,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 29.7% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 19,982 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,772,000 after buying an additional 4,574 shares during the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

WMS stock opened at $150.19 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $160.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $149.91. The company has a current ratio of 4.12, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.92 and a 12-month high of $179.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.70 billion, a PE ratio of 24.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $693.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $686.37 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 15.75%.The company's quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group set a $215.00 price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price target on Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $187.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $186.00.

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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