AIA Group Ltd Sells 2,911 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

AIA Group Ltd decreased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 7.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,857 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,911 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $6,004,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMS. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 15.6% in the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 490 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Duality Advisers LP lifted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 15.4% in the 1st quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 6,995 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after acquiring an additional 935 shares in the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 1st quarter valued at about $282,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 1st quarter valued at about $5,751,000. Finally, W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 1st quarter valued at about $239,000. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 0.6 %

WMS stock traded up $0.93 during trading on Friday, hitting $163.52. The company had a trading volume of 277,687 shares, compared to its average volume of 483,520. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.39, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $167.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.38. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $102.32 and a 52-week high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.28. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.74% and a return on equity of 46.93%. The firm had revenue of $653.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.99 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This is a boost from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.58, for a total value of $1,725,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,225 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,246,890.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.58, for a total transaction of $1,725,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,225 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,246,890.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Robert M. Klein sold 3,059 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.95, for a total transaction of $538,231.05. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 102,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,959,216.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 176,004 shares of company stock worth $30,547,285 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $182.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.88.

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.