J. Goldman & Co LP Takes Position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

J. Goldman & Co LP acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 57,934 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $6,697,000. J. Goldman & Co LP owned about 0.07% of Advanced Drainage Systems as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,332,268 shares of the construction company's stock worth $847,610,000 after purchasing an additional 52,799 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 34.6% during the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,530,000 shares of the construction company's stock worth $291,723,000 after buying an additional 650,052 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 45.8% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,732,827 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $200,315,000 after buying an additional 544,109 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,402,447 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $162,123,000 after buying an additional 16,415 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,192,746 shares of the construction company's stock worth $137,924,000 after acquiring an additional 5,868 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WMS shares. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $146.00 to $141.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $141.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

WMS stock traded up $4.19 on Friday, reaching $121.73. The company had a trading volume of 907,474 shares, compared to its average volume of 599,663. The company's fifty day moving average is $109.45 and its 200 day moving average is $119.74. The company has a market cap of $9.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 3.21. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.92 and a 1 year high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The construction company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $653.22 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Advanced Drainage Systems's payout ratio is currently 10.70%.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.