Robeco Schweiz AG Boosts Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Robeco Schweiz AG boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 22.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 407,304 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 74,741 shares during the period. Robeco Schweiz AG owned approximately 0.52% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $56,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the second quarter worth $90,989,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,209.7% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 260,607 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,933,000 after buying an additional 240,709 shares during the last quarter. PGGM Investments raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 88.8% during the 2nd quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 388,484 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $44,621,000 after buying an additional 182,665 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 327.3% in the 2nd quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 235,000 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,992,000 after acquiring an additional 180,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 363.7% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 187,270 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $21,509,000 after acquiring an additional 146,884 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WMS shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $158.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $176.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $160.44.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of WMS opened at $157.12 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 3.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $148.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $138.92. The stock has a market cap of $12.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.33. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $93.92 and a one year high of $159.84.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The construction company reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $850.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $802.49 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 28.85% and a net margin of 15.35%.The company’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.70 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.29%.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Drainage Systems

In related news, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 80,030 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.95, for a total transaction of $11,920,468.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 42,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,385,039.65. This represents a 65.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 4,901 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.21, for a total transaction of $731,278.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,467 shares in the company, valued at $368,101.07. This trade represents a 66.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 97,772 shares of company stock valued at $14,605,539. Insiders own 1.63% of the company’s stock.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc (NYSE: WMS) is a leading manufacturer and supplier of water management solutions in North America. Headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, the company specializes in the design, production and distribution of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) drainage pipe and related products. Its core business addresses stormwater management, on-site septic systems and erosion control for residential, commercial and infrastructure projects.

The company’s product portfolio includes corrugated plastic pipe, tubing, fittings, geocells, geogrids and stormwater structures such as inlets, manholes and detention/retention systems.