United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Invests $708,000 in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 4,510 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $708,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WMS. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.1% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 244 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $137.11 on Monday. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $128.03 and a twelve month high of $179.32. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $145.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.29. The firm has a market cap of $10.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.68, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.27.

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 company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $991.39 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 28.28% and a net margin of 14.00%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.95 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Stephens upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $181.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $188.70.

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.