Vision Capital Management Inc. Buys 13,554 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Vision Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 118.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,981 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 13,554 shares during the quarter. Vision Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $2,888,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMS. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 123.1% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 386 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 642.4% in the third quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp now owns 490 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 18.1% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 555 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake 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 valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter valued at about $94,000. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:WMS opened at $116.67 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $121.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $140.87. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $110.75 and a 52-week high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $819.41 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.71 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $174.00 to $161.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. UBS Group raised Advanced Drainage Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays dropped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price (down from $170.00) on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $166.88.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.