BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Acquires 54,518 Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 217.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,646 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 54,518 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $12,517,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMS. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 133.3% during the second quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 175 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,472.7% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 173 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the second quarter valued at $45,000. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 65.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 451 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WMS shares. KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $174.00 to $161.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $194.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on 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, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 price target (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 six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.29.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

WMS opened at $131.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.53. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $157.56. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $117.97 and a one year high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $782.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $819.41 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 40.31% and a net margin of 16.89%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.71 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 10.19%.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company 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.