Baird Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 560.7% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 128,123 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 108,732 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $20,110,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,170 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 16,007 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,318,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 1,961 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 24.4% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 377 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.1% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 244 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMS opened at $128.12 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $142.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company has a market cap of $9.66 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.28. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $126.39 and a 52-week high of $179.32.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $991.39 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 28.28%. The firm’s revenue was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.95 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is currently 13.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WMS shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $188.70.

Advanced Drainage Systems Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc (NYSE: WMS) designs and manufactures water management products for the construction, infrastructure, agriculture and residential markets. Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, the company is known for its thermoplastic corrugated pipe and related systems used to collect, convey, store and manage stormwater and wastewater.

Its product portfolio includes stormwater detention and infiltration systems, sanitary and septic sewer products, agricultural drainage systems, erosion and sediment control products, and water-quality solutions.