Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Key Points

• Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 10.7% in the first quarter, owning approximately 0.34% of the company valued at $28,477,000.
• Advanced Drainage Systems recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, providing a 0.5% annual yield for shareholders.
• Analyst ratings for Advanced Drainage Systems show strong support, with seven analysts rating the stock as "Buy" and a consensus price target of $152.56.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 10.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 262,096 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 25,373 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 0.34% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $28,477,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMS. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 76.2% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 266 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 97.6% in the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 10,769 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,170,000 after purchasing an additional 5,319 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 18,914 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 2,559 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 167.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 812 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares during the period. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,907 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on WMS shares. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $140.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Loop Capital cut their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $152.56.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMS traded down $1.26 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $144.19. 532,680 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 972,140. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $124.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $116.46. The company has a market capitalization of $11.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.27. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.92 and a 52-week high of $166.03. The company has a quick ratio of 2.25, a current ratio of 3.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The construction company reported $1.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $829.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $800.54 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 14.82% and a return on equity of 29.57%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.06 earnings per share. Advanced Drainage Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.00%.

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.