Yousif Capital Management LLC Purchases 134 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,367 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $4,552,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $82,000. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMS opened at $162.70 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $164.59 and its 200 day moving average is $140.45. The stock has a market cap of $12.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.50. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $80.98 and a 1-year high of $176.31. The company has a current ratio of 3.03, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.44. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.65% and a return on equity of 49.79%. The firm had revenue of $662.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $632.69 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.34%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is 8.90%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total transaction of $124,351,885.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 70,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,532,087. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total transaction of $124,351,885.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 70,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,532,087. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total transaction of $1,635,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,199,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on WMS shares. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Stephens raised their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.13.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.