Bank of Montreal Can Sells 59,816 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Bank of Montreal Can lessened its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 80.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,752 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 59,816 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $1,705,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $86,185,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 34.6% in the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,530,000 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $291,723,000 after buying an additional 650,052 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 72.2% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 854,764 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $98,678,000 after acquiring an additional 358,271 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 738,749 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $85,399,000 after acquiring an additional 129,252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 359,111 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $41,513,000 after acquiring an additional 87,297 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMS. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $153.78.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $104.44 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.48. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.92 and a twelve month high of $184.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $125.33.

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.