New York State Common Retirement Fund Grows Stock Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 13.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 154,018 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 18,640 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.19% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $12,970,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 210.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,123,772 shares of the construction company's stock worth $92,116,000 after purchasing an additional 761,995 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 188.1% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 1,137,675 shares of the construction company's stock worth $93,255,000 after purchasing an additional 742,826 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,287,218 shares of the construction company's stock worth $628,174,000 after purchasing an additional 526,175 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter worth $40,774,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 43.2% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,598,774 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $131,052,000 after buying an additional 482,233 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.94% of the company's stock.

In other news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.25, for a total value of $327,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $944,684.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.25, for a total value of $327,750.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,647 shares of the company's stock, valued at $944,684.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.57, for a total transaction of $1,055,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,798 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,884,764.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 20,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,102,000. Insiders own 3.79% of the company's stock.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMS. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $115.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, May 22nd. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $108.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Friday, May 19th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $119.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 13th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $120.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Friday, May 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $125.00 to $131.00 in a report on Friday, May 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $127.57.

Shares of WMS opened at $121.99 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $111.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $95.49. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.02 and a fifty-two week high of $153.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.66 billion, a PE ratio of 20.10, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.69.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 18th. The construction company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $617.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $567.10 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 16.51% and a return on equity of 52.49%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 1st were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This is an increase from Advanced Drainage Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 31st. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.23%.

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products, and drainage solutions for use in the construction and agriculture marketplaces in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments.

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