GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases 62 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 29.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 273 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $47,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,878,726 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $783,005,000 after acquiring an additional 65,038 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,299,489 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $182,737,000 after purchasing an additional 178,720 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its holdings 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 period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.8% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 647,436 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $73,698,000 after buying an additional 11,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 633,392 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $89,086,000 after buying an additional 15,690 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

Shares of WMS stock opened at $166.44 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $167.94 and its 200-day moving average is $156.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 2.96. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $102.32 and a 52 week high of $184.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.90 billion, a PE ratio of 25.84, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.58.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $653.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $611.99 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.06 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were given a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.38%. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on WMS shares. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $182.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.88.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Drainage Systems

In related news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The stock was 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 85,938 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.10, for a total value of $14,961,805.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,007,555.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.58, for a total value of $1,725,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,246,890.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 176,004 shares of company stock worth $30,547,285 over the last 90 days. 2.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.