Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Has $9.47 Million Stock Position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Key Points

• Mawer Investment Management reduced its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 65,373 shares valued at about $9.47 million.
• Advanced Drainage Systems reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.07 versus the $0.95 consensus and revenue of $676.76 million, up 9.9% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.20 per share from $0.18, while analysts currently hold a Moderate Buy consensus with a $187 price target.

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. cut its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 20.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 65,373 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 16,559 shares during the period. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned about 0.08% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $9,468,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMS. Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 32.9% in the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,122 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,901,000 after acquiring an additional 6,960 shares during the last quarter. Pier Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 69,891.7% in the 4th quarter. Pier Capital LLC now owns 50,394 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $7,299,000 after purchasing an additional 50,322 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 406.0% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 27,302 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,954,000 after purchasing an additional 21,906 shares during the last quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 345.7% during 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. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 166,469 shares of the construction company's stock worth $24,110,000 after purchasing an additional 30,557 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:WMS opened at $135.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.29. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $105.14 and a 12-month high of $179.32. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.90.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $676.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $651.92 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 26.63% and a net margin of 13.98%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Barclays cut their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $198.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Stephens upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $190.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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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