J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Boosts Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 22.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 166,469 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 30,557 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG owned about 0.21% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $24,110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 234.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,188,906 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $164,901,000 after purchasing an additional 832,929 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $90,989,000. Interval Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 98.0% in the 3rd quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 968,534 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $134,336,000 after purchasing an additional 479,413 shares during the period. SG Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,591,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 586.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 285,810 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $39,642,000 after buying an additional 244,202 shares during the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on WMS shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays increased their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of WMS stock opened at $131.30 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $155.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.20. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.92 and a twelve month high of $179.32. The company has a market capitalization of $10.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 4.12, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $693.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $686.37 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.98%.

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.