Nordea Investment Management AB Sells 8,217 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Nordea Investment Management AB lowered its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 67,524 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 8,217 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $9,906,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 3.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,551,901 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $353,949,000 after purchasing an additional 75,777 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,416,942 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $335,230,000 after acquiring an additional 238,179 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 6.5% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 234.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,188,906 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $164,901,000 after acquiring an additional 832,929 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.4% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,138,378 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $157,889,000 after purchasing an additional 16,118 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $138.79 on Thursday. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $93.92 and a 1-year high of $179.32. The company has a current ratio of 4.12, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.81 billion, a PE ratio of 23.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $149.39.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $693.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $686.37 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 15.75% and a return on equity of 27.72%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMS. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $187.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group set a $215.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.