Jupiter Topco LLC Makes New Investment in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 361,701 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,805,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMS. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,170 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 16,007 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,318,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 1,961 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 377 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.1% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 244 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of WMS stock opened at $139.16 on Friday. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $128.03 and a fifty-two week high of $179.32. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $146.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $146.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 2.12. The company has a market cap of $10.49 billion, a PE ratio of 24.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.39. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 28.28% and a net margin of 14.00%.The company had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $991.39 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.95 EPS. Advanced Drainage Systems’s revenue was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is presently 13.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on WMS. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. National Bank Financial set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Monday. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $188.70.

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.