Quadrature Capital Ltd Makes New $2.21 Million Investment in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 12,817 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,208,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the first quarter valued at about $32,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the first quarter valued at about $56,000. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total value of $648,584.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $773,180.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total value of $648,584.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 4,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $773,180.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 85,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.10, for a total transaction of $14,961,805.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,007,555.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 176,004 shares of company stock valued at $30,547,285 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $182.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.88.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

WMS stock traded up $6.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $174.48. The company had a trading volume of 511,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 498,425. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $167.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $160.87. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $102.32 and a 12 month high of $184.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 2.96. The firm has a market cap of $13.52 billion, a PE ratio of 27.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.55.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.28. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.74% and a return on equity of 46.93%. The company had revenue of $653.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.99 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were given a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is 9.94%.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products, and drainage solutions for use in the construction and agriculture marketplaces in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments.