Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 271 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 19,978 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 271 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $2,309,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Millburn Ridgefield Corp increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 781 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $94,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 884 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMS shares. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, February 7th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $160.89.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of WMS stock opened at $109.85 on Thursday. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $101.90 and a 12 month high of $184.27. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $115.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.51. The firm has a market cap of $8.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The construction company reported $1.09 EPS 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.58%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 10.70%.

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.