J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Purchases 62,809 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 85.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 135,912 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 62,809 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $18,851,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 352.0% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,242.1% in the third quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 255 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 341.6% in the second quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 658 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 702 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Advanced Drainage Systems

In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, Director Robert M. Eversole sold 10,569 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.82, for a total transaction of $1,615,154.58. Following the sale, the director directly owned 50,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,652,614.32. The trade was a 17.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 80,030 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.95, for a total value of $11,920,468.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 42,867 shares in the company, valued at $6,385,039.65. This trade represents a 65.12% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 97,772 shares of company stock valued at $14,605,539. 1.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of WMS opened at $153.42 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.48 and a quick ratio of 2.60. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $93.92 and a one year high of $160.85. The company has a market cap of $11.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.33.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The construction company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.27. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 28.85% and a net margin of 15.35%.The company had revenue of $850.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $802.49 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.70 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 12.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $181.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $176.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Thursday, January 15th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.33.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc (NYSE: WMS) is a leading manufacturer and supplier of water management solutions in North America. Headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, the company specializes in the design, production and distribution of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) drainage pipe and related products. Its core business addresses stormwater management, on-site septic systems and erosion control for residential, commercial and infrastructure projects.

The company’s product portfolio includes corrugated plastic pipe, tubing, fittings, geocells, geogrids and stormwater structures such as inlets, manholes and detention/retention systems.