DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Lowers Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale reduced its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 28.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,630 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 10,200 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale's holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $3,579,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $315,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 44,901 shares of the construction company's stock worth $6,315,000 after purchasing an additional 935 shares during the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $233,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $5,040,000. Finally, JB Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter valued at $254,000. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

NYSE:WMS traded down $1.44 on Friday, reaching $163.94. 288,070 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 429,084. The firm has a market cap of $12.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 3.03 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.50. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $80.41 and a 52 week high of $176.31.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.44. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.65% and a return on equity of 49.79%. The business had revenue of $662.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $632.69 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. Advanced Drainage Systems's revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.34%. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.90%.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Drainage Systems

In related news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total value of $1,635,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,199,344. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total value of $1,635,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,199,344. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total transaction of $124,351,885.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 70,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,532,087. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Stephens increased their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $155.13.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products, and drainage solutions for use in the construction and agriculture marketplaces in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments.