Cerity Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 428.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,449 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,204 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $3,157,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMS. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 13.3% during the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,445,326 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $164,521,000 after purchasing an additional 169,517 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,878,726 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $783,005,000 after acquiring an additional 65,038 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 13,990 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,968,000 after acquiring an additional 6,343 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 113.9% in the third quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 7,316 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $833,000 after acquiring an additional 3,896 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 42,273 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,945,000 after purchasing an additional 6,467 shares during the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

NYSE WMS opened at $156.87 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $164.93 and its 200 day moving average is $138.47. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $80.41 and a fifty-two week high of $176.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.03. The company has a market capitalization of $12.18 billion, a PE ratio of 24.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.50.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $662.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $632.69 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 49.79% and a net margin of 17.65%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com cut Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.13.

Insider Activity

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Profile

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.