Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Buys 20,146 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 163,910 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 20,146 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned about 0.21% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $18,948,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 8.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,541,688 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $399,452,000 after acquiring an additional 206,105 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 50.4% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 96,764 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,186,000 after purchasing an additional 32,418 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,694,000. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $8,540,000. Finally, Swedbank AB increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.8% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of WMS traded down $1.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $125.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 432,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 483,734. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $110.75 and a 52 week high of $184.27. The company's fifty day moving average price is $123.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.29. The stock has a market cap of $9.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.51.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The construction company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.93 by ($0.23). The company had revenue of $782.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $819.41 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 16.89% and a return on equity of 40.31%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.71 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems's payout ratio is presently 10.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMS shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $184.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (down previously from $170.00) on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $180.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $166.88.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.