Strs Ohio Acquires 11,903 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Key Points

• Strs Ohio raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 704.7%, buying 11,903 shares to hold 13,592 shares worth about $1.97 million, while institutional investors own 89.83% of the stock.
• Advanced Drainage beat Q4 expectations with EPS of $1.27 versus $1.11 expected and revenue of $693.35M versus $686.37M, reporting a 15.75% net margin and 27.72% ROE; analysts forecast roughly 6.19 EPS for the year.
• Analysts are largely positive—seven Buys and one Hold—with an average price target of $190.29, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.18 ($0.72 annualized, ~0.5% yield).

Strs Ohio raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 704.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,592 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 11,903 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio's holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $1,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMS. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 3.0% during the third quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,836 shares of the construction company's stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP grew its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.7% in the third quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 3,234 shares of the construction company's stock worth $449,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 16.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 702 shares of the construction company's stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.6% during the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 4,599 shares of the construction company's stock worth $638,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 2,241 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Up 1.4%

WMS opened at $142.72 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 4.12 and a quick ratio of 3.08. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $147.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.36. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $104.69 and a fifty-two week high of $179.32.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.19 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio is 11.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down from $200.00) on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $176.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $198.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group set a $215.00 target price on Advanced Drainage Systems and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price target on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Advanced Drainage Systems has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $190.29.

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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