Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Position Raised by HM Payson & Co.

HM Payson & Co. raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 3,042.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,285 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,085 shares during the quarter. HM Payson & Co.'s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $988,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMS. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 319.4% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 151 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 133.3% during the 2nd quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 175 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,472.7% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 173 shares of the construction company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Tobam acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 1st quarter valued at $56,000. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

NYSE:WMS traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $149.65. 283,737 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 485,135. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.53. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $152.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $104.16 and a 52 week high of $184.27.

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Company 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.