12,817 Shares in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Acquired by Quadrature Capital Ltd

Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 12,817 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,208,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMS. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 319.4% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 151 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Tobam acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 1st quarter worth $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Robert M. Klein sold 3,059 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.95, for a total value of $538,231.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 102,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,959,216.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Robert M. Klein sold 3,059 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.95, for a total transaction of $538,231.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 102,070 shares in the company, valued at $17,959,216.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total value of $648,584.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $773,180.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 176,004 shares of company stock worth $30,547,285. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 3.8 %

Shares of WMS traded up $6.37 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $174.48. The stock had a trading volume of 511,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 498,425. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $102.32 and a 52 week high of $184.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $167.04 and a 200 day moving average of $160.87. The company has a market cap of $13.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.55.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $653.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $611.99 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 46.93% and a net margin of 17.74%. The company’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were issued a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This is a boost from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 9.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Northcoast Research assumed coverage on Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Stephens increased their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $182.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. KeyCorp increased their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.88.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.