Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Increases Position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 7.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 136,558 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,480 shares during the quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned 0.18% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $18,941,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 4.8% in the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 3,043,909 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $348,709,000 after purchasing an additional 139,495 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,416,942 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $335,230,000 after buying an additional 238,179 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,472,176 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $204,191,000 after buying an additional 90,106 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,138,378 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $157,889,000 after acquiring an additional 16,118 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 34.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 933,851 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $129,525,000 after acquiring an additional 241,500 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 2.3%

NYSE WMS opened at $147.14 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $160.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $149.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a current ratio of 4.12. The company has a market cap of $11.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.27. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $93.92 and a one year high of $179.32.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $693.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $686.37 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 15.75% and a return on equity of 27.72%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is presently 11.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $176.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $187.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems Profile

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.