Natixis Advisors L.P. Buys 15,557 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 9.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 174,580 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,557 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $24,552,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 119,755 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $16,842,000 after purchasing an additional 20,466 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $346,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 18,470 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,598,000 after buying an additional 3,693 shares in the last quarter. Steele Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $430,000. Finally, Intrust Bank NA boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 4,023 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $566,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMS. Stephens raised their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $159.13.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Drainage Systems

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $164.89 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $12.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.51. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $176.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $164.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.08.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $662.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $632.69 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.65% and a return on equity of 49.79%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.34%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.90%.

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.