Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Acquires 13,844 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 7.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 212,849 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,844 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $27,981,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMS. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,170 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 16,007 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,318,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 1,961 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 24.4% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 377 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.1% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 244 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WMS. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Monday, April 20th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.00.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of WMS stock opened at $147.62 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a PE ratio of 27.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.26. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $110.79 and a 52-week high of $179.32. The business’s fifty day moving average is $142.09 and its 200 day moving average is $148.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.42.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $676.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $651.92 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 26.63% and a net margin of 13.98%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is presently 14.71%.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.