Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Acquires 75,008 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 15.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 562,052 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 75,008 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.73% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $88,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 16.3% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 139,677 shares of the construction company's stock worth $24,059,000 after acquiring an additional 19,626 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB raised its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,384,276 shares of the construction company's stock worth $217,553,000 after purchasing an additional 75,455 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 800.5% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 18,353 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,944,000 after purchasing an additional 16,315 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the second quarter worth $2,096,000. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 4.3% during the second quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 206,970 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $33,196,000 after buying an additional 8,468 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:WMS traded up $1.58 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $133.23. The company had a trading volume of 654,324 shares, compared to its average volume of 710,256. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.15. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $119.25 and a 52 week high of $184.27. The company has a market capitalization of $10.33 billion, a PE ratio of 21.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.53. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $147.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.76.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The construction company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.93 by ($0.23). Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 16.89% and a return on equity of 40.31%. The company had revenue of $782.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $819.41 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.71 EPS. Advanced Drainage Systems's quarterly revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.48%. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMS. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $184.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $194.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $135.00 price target (down from $170.00) on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $174.00 to $161.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $170.29.

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.