Pacer Advisors Inc. Buys New Stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 9,522 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,321,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMS. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 50.8% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 3,114,224 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $338,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049,697 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 4.8% in the 2nd 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 period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,178,763 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $250,253,000 after buying an additional 117,963 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.3% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,382,070 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $158,745,000 after buying an additional 3,583 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 38.2% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,181,199 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $127,223,000 after buying an additional 326,435 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of WMS opened at $144.90 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 3.48. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.92 and a 1 year high of $155.39. The company’s fifty day moving average is $146.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.50.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The construction company reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.27. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 15.35% and a return on equity of 28.85%. The company had revenue of $850.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $802.49 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.70 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is currently 12.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert M. Eversole sold 10,569 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.82, for a total transaction of $1,615,154.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 50,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,652,614.32. This represents a 17.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 4,901 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.21, for a total value of $731,278.21. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 2,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $368,101.07. This represents a 66.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 97,772 shares of company stock worth $14,605,539. Company insiders own 1.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $176.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $158.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $157.11.

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.