Natixis Advisors L.P. Boosts Stock Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Natixis Advisors L.P. lifted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 174,580 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,557 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned about 0.22% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $24,552,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 119,755 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $16,842,000 after acquiring an additional 20,466 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $346,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 18,470 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,598,000 after buying an additional 3,693 shares during the last quarter. Steele Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $430,000. Finally, Intrust Bank NA boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 4,023 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $566,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WMS shares. Stephens boosted their price target 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. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.13.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

WMS opened at $164.89 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $164.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $142.08. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $176.31. The firm has a market cap of $12.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.21, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a current ratio of 3.03, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $632.69 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

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.