First Eagle Investment Management LLC Takes Position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

First Eagle Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 4,100 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $569,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 3,043,909 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $348,709,000 after buying an additional 139,495 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.7% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,178,763 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $250,253,000 after purchasing an additional 117,963 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,472,176 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $204,191,000 after purchasing an additional 90,106 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 880,373 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $101,120,000 after purchasing an additional 6,154 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 2nd quarter valued at about $90,989,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

Shares of WMS stock opened at $148.85 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.08, a current ratio of 4.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.92 and a 12-month high of $179.32. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $160.09 and a 200-day moving average of $149.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.16. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 15.75%.The firm had revenue of $693.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $686.37 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is currently 11.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMS shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $176.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price target on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $187.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $186.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems Profile

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.