6,722 Shares in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS Purchased by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 6,722 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $922,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,170 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 16,007 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,318,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC raised its stake 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 during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 24.4% in 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. raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.1% in 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. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

WMS opened at $140.66 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.77. The company has a market capitalization of $10.78 billion, a PE ratio of 25.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.26. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $110.85 and a 1 year high of $179.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $676.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $651.92 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 26.63% and a net margin of 13.98%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.03 EPS. Research analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on WMS. Zacks Research cut shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Stephens raised shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $175.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.00.

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.