Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Shares Bought by AIA Group Ltd

AIA Group Ltd increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 12.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,596 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 4,660 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd owned about 0.05% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $6,694,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMS. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 319.4% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 151 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 133.3% during the second quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 175 shares of the construction company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,472.7% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 173 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 65.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 451 shares of the construction company's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMS has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $202.00 to $194.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $200.00 to $187.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $192.00 price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $190.14.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

NYSE:WMS traded down $22.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $136.16. 2,277,430 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 493,406. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 2.89. The company has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a PE ratio of 23.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.53. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $152.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $159.90. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $110.38 and a 1 year high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The construction company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.08. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.09% and a return on equity of 43.60%. The business had revenue of $815.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $828.00 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.95 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.13%.

Advanced Drainage Systems Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products in North America and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments. It offers single, double, and triple wall corrugated polypropylene and polyethylene pipes; plastic leachfield chambers and systems; EZflow synthetic aggregate bundles; wastewater purification through mechanical aeration wastewater for residential and commercial systems; septic tanks and accessories; combined treatment and dispersal systems, including advanced enviro-septic and advanced treatment leachfield systems; and allied products, including storm retention/detention and septic chambers, polyvinyl chloride drainage structures, fittings, and water quality filters and separators.