Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Shares Acquired by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 127,328 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,859 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.16% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $17,907,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at about $82,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 28.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 900 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

NYSE:WMS opened at $162.82 on Tuesday. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $81.25 and a 52 week high of $176.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $164.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.03. The company has a market capitalization of $12.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Stephens upped their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $159.13.

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.