Nordea Investment Management AB Has $9.91 Million Stock Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Key Points

• Nordea Investment Management AB trimmed its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) by 10.8% in Q4 to 67,524 shares worth about $9.91 million, while institutional investors collectively own 89.83% of the company.
• Advanced Drainage Systems beat quarterly expectations with $1.27 EPS vs. $1.11 expected and $693.35M revenue, reporting a 15.75% net margin and 27.72% return on equity; the stock trades around a $10.8B market cap with a P/E of 23.09.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive — MarketBeat shows a consensus “Moderate Buy” (eight Buys, one Hold) with an average target of $186 and several firms raising targets (e.g., UBS $215, RBC $205).

Nordea Investment Management AB cut its position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 10.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,524 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 8,217 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB owned 0.09% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $9,906,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 352.0% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,242.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 255 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of WMS opened at $138.79 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $10.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.09, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a current ratio of 4.12. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.92 and a twelve month high of $179.32. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $157.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $149.39.

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WMS shares. UBS Group set a $215.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $176.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $187.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $186.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company 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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