Rathbones Group PLC Sells 139,782 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Rathbones Group PLC lowered its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 47.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 157,225 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 139,782 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $21,807,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 352.0% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,242.1% during the third quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 255 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 16.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 702 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 1.9%

WMS stock opened at $146.22 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $160.03 and a 200 day moving average of $149.85. The firm has a market cap of $11.39 billion, a PE ratio of 24.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.27. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.92 and a twelve month high of $179.32. The company has a quick ratio of 3.08, a current ratio of 4.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $686.37 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on WMS. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group set a $215.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $176.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective 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. Eight research 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 company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $186.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems 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.