Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Shares Sold by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. trimmed its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 24.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 253,933 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 82,730 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 0.33% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $43,738,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 428.8% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 22,449 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,157,000 after purchasing an additional 18,204 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 633,392 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $89,086,000 after acquiring an additional 15,690 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,878,726 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $783,005,000 after acquiring an additional 65,038 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 13,990 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,968,000 after acquiring an additional 6,343 shares during the period. Finally, Perpetual Ltd increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 9.6% during the first quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 55,575 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $9,572,000 after acquiring an additional 4,889 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of WMS stock opened at $154.86 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $168.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.65. The firm has a market cap of $12.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.05, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.55. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.32 and a 1 year high of $184.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 2.96.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $653.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.99 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 46.93% and a net margin of 17.74%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.06 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This is an increase from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.41%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 9.94%.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Drainage Systems

In related news, EVP Robert M. Klein sold 3,059 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.95, for a total transaction of $538,231.05. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 102,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,959,216.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Robert M. Klein sold 3,059 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.95, for a total transaction of $538,231.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 102,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,959,216.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total transaction of $648,584.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $773,180.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 176,004 shares of company stock worth $30,547,285. Company insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WMS shares. Stephens upped their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $182.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Northcoast Research started coverage on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com raised Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.88.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

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.