Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 3,053 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,658 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,053 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $2,157,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 781 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,005 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,390 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,812 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $231,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 884 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on WMS. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays reduced their price objective on 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. StockNews.com raised Advanced Drainage Systems from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised Advanced Drainage Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.25.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 1.2 %

WMS stock opened at $108.33 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $118.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.24. The company has a current ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.90 and a 1-year high of $184.27. The stock has a market cap of $8.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.61.

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.70%.

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.