UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 63.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,064,527 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 799,569 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 2.66% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $238,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMS. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 781 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $94,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 884 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,005 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,298.6% in the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $118,000 after buying an additional 948 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WMS shares. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $146.00 to $141.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $155.00 to $146.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $139.88.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 2.3%

Advanced Drainage Systems stock traded down $2.56 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $109.10. The company had a trading volume of 91,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 600,763. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $93.92 and a 1-year high of $179.57. The company has a current ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $110.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.40. The stock has a market cap of $8.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.31.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The construction company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.09 by ($0.06). Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 15.90% and a return on equity of 35.79%. The company had revenue of $615.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $653.22 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This is an increase from Advanced Drainage Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.50%.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

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.