Marshall Financial Group LLC Increases Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Marshall Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 8.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,129 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 544 shares during the quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $1,228,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth approximately $88,640,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 107.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 567,504 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $79,814,000 after acquiring an additional 293,924 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 659,483 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $92,750,000 after purchasing an additional 289,925 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 164.6% during the 4th quarter. abrdn plc now owns 377,587 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $53,104,000 after purchasing an additional 234,883 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,122,000. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Drainage Systems

In related news, EVP Robert M. Klein sold 3,059 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.95, for a total value of $538,231.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 102,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,959,216.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Robert M. Klein sold 3,059 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.95, for a total value of $538,231.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 102,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,959,216.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.58, for a total value of $1,725,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,225 shares in the company, valued at $1,246,890.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 176,004 shares of company stock worth $30,547,285 over the last quarter. 2.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on WMS. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $182.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. StockNews.com raised Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.88.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

NYSE WMS traded up $1.03 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $155.89. The stock had a trading volume of 339,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 567,416. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $102.32 and a 52-week high of $184.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $168.01 and a 200 day moving average of $157.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 2.96. The stock has a market cap of $12.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.55.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.28. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.74% and a return on equity of 46.93%. The business had revenue of $653.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.99 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were issued a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This is a boost from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is 9.94%.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.