Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 24,528 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. cut its position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 10.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 206,848 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 24,528 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $29,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 406.0% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 27,302 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,954,000 after buying an additional 21,906 shares during the period. Pier Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 69,891.7% during the 4th quarter. Pier Capital LLC now owns 50,394 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,299,000 after purchasing an additional 50,322 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 166,469 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $24,110,000 after purchasing an additional 30,557 shares during the period. Elevatus Welath Management bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter valued at $2,600,000. Finally, Interval Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 98.0% during the 3rd quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 968,534 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $134,336,000 after purchasing an additional 479,413 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on 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. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $198.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $185.75.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

WMS opened at $134.66 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $141.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $149.12. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $109.63 and a 12-month high of $179.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.75, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.29.

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.71%.

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.