Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Increases Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 30.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 313,063 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 73,100 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $36,190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $86,185,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 34.6% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,530,000 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $291,723,000 after purchasing an additional 650,052 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 72.2% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 854,764 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $98,678,000 after purchasing an additional 358,271 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,541,688 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $399,452,000 after purchasing an additional 206,105 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 738,749 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $85,399,000 after buying an additional 129,252 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 2.3 %

NYSE WMS opened at $100.82 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.48. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.39 and a 52-week high of $184.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $115.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.85.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The construction company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.25). Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 35.79% and a net margin of 15.90%. Equities research analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is currently 10.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WMS. UBS Group upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $149.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $160.89.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products in North America and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments. It offers single, double, and triple wall corrugated polypropylene and polyethylene pipes; plastic leachfield chambers and systems; EZflow synthetic aggregate bundles; wastewater purification through mechanical aeration wastewater for residential and commercial systems; septic tanks and accessories; combined treatment and dispersal systems, including advanced enviro-septic and advanced treatment leachfield systems; and allied products, including storm retention/detention and septic chambers, polyvinyl chloride drainage structures, fittings, and water quality filters and separators.