Dempze Nancy E Sells 1,500 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Dempze Nancy E reduced its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 13.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,000 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the period. Dempze Nancy E’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $1,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 781 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter valued at $94,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 884 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,005 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,298.6% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $118,000 after acquiring an additional 948 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group raised Advanced Drainage Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $149.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $160.89.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMS opened at $100.82 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $115.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $128.99. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.39 and a 52-week high of $184.27. The company has a market cap of $7.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.86, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The construction company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.25). Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 35.79% and a net margin of 15.90%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 10.70%.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products in North America and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments. It offers single, double, and triple wall corrugated polypropylene and polyethylene pipes; plastic leachfield chambers and systems; EZflow synthetic aggregate bundles; wastewater purification through mechanical aeration wastewater for residential and commercial systems; septic tanks and accessories; combined treatment and dispersal systems, including advanced enviro-septic and advanced treatment leachfield systems; and allied products, including storm retention/detention and septic chambers, polyvinyl chloride drainage structures, fittings, and water quality filters and separators.