Bank of Montreal Can Grows Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 20.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,568 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,559 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $11,953,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 135.6% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 15,216 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,621,000 after acquiring an additional 8,757 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 75.7% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 3,887 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $669,000 after purchasing an additional 1,675 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 65.2% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 451 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 4,625 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $742,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the second quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on WMS shares. KeyCorp dropped their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 price target (down from $170.00) on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $174.00 to $161.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.29.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE:WMS opened at $135.29 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $119.26 and a twelve month high of $184.27. The company has a market cap of $10.49 billion, a PE ratio of 21.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.53. The company’s 50 day moving average is $147.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.23.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The construction company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.93 by ($0.23). Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 16.89% and a return on equity of 40.31%. The firm had revenue of $782.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $819.41 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.71 earnings per share. Advanced Drainage Systems’s revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.5 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is 10.19%.

Advanced Drainage Systems 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.