Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC Acquires 10,850 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 137,852 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,850 shares during the period. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $19,120,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 4.8% in the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 3,043,909 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $348,709,000 after purchasing an additional 139,495 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.7% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,178,763 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $250,253,000 after purchasing an additional 117,963 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,472,176 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $204,191,000 after buying an additional 90,106 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,138,378 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $157,889,000 after buying an additional 16,118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 880,373 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $101,120,000 after buying an additional 6,154 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 7.6%

Shares of NYSE:WMS opened at $148.85 on Friday. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.92 and a 52-week high of $179.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a current ratio of 4.12. The company has a market capitalization of $11.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $160.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.72.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.16. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 15.75%.The company had revenue of $693.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $686.37 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMS. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price target on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $187.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $176.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

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.