KBC Group NV Has $125.75 Million Stock Position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 916,981 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,915 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned about 1.18% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $125,746,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMS. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 406.0% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 27,302 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,954,000 after acquiring an additional 21,906 shares during the period. Pier Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 69,891.7% in 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 boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 166,469 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $24,110,000 after purchasing an additional 30,557 shares during the last quarter. Elevatus Welath Management bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter worth $2,600,000. Finally, Mirabaud Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth $3,283,000. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer cut their target price 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. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

WMS stock opened at $147.62 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $142.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $148.92. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $110.79 and a 1 year high of $179.32. The stock has a market cap of $11.31 billion, a PE ratio of 27.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $676.76 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $1.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.