Pier Capital LLC Purchases 50,322 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Key Points

• Pier Capital LLC bought an additional 50,322 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in Q4 (a 69,891.7% increase), leaving it with 50,394 shares worth about $7.30 million (≈0.06% of the company).
• Other institutions also increased exposure—examples include Mediolanum’s new ~$24.3 million stake and J. Safra Sarasin’s 135,912 shares—with institutional ownership totaling 89.83%.
• Analysts hold a consensus of "Moderate Buy" (7 Buys, 1 Hold) with an average price target of $190.29; the stock traded around $143.96 (down ~3.2%), with a market cap of $11.21 billion and a P/E of about 24.

Pier Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 69,891.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,394 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 50,322 shares during the quarter. Pier Capital LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $7,299,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 32.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,122 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,901,000 after buying an additional 6,960 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the third quarter valued at about $24,314,000. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 345.7% during the third quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 42,898 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $5,950,000 after purchasing an additional 33,274 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 29.7% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 19,982 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,772,000 after purchasing an additional 4,574 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 85.9% during the third quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 135,912 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $18,851,000 after purchasing an additional 62,809 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Monday, April 20th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down from $200.00) on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $198.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price target on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $190.29.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 3.2%

Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $143.96 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $146.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $150.44. 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 one year low of $104.69 and a one year high of $179.32. The stock has a market cap of $11.21 billion, a PE ratio of 23.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.33.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.16. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 15.75%.The company had revenue of $693.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $686.37 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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