Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 23.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 158,803 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 48,045 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $21,777,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 406.0% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 27,302 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,954,000 after acquiring an additional 21,906 shares during the period. Pier Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 69,891.7% in the fourth quarter. Pier Capital LLC now owns 50,394 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,299,000 after purchasing an additional 50,322 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG boosted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 166,469 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $24,110,000 after purchasing an additional 30,557 shares during the period. Elevatus Welath Management acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth $2,600,000. Finally, Mirabaud Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth $3,283,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of WMS stock opened at $142.05 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $142.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.72. The company has a market cap of $10.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.11, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.26. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $110.85 and a 12 month high of $179.32.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.12. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 26.63% and a net margin of 13.98%.The firm had revenue of $676.76 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $651.92 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.03 earnings per share. Advanced Drainage Systems’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This is an increase from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMS. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $181.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.00.

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.