Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Holdings Boosted by Nicolet Advisory Services LLC

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 25.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,244 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 661 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $550,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMS. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 10.3% in the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 121,851 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $21,178,000 after buying an additional 11,423 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 428.8% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 22,449 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,157,000 after buying an additional 18,204 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 633,392 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $89,086,000 after buying an additional 15,690 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 82.9% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 13,990 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,968,000 after buying an additional 6,343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,878,726 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $783,005,000 after buying an additional 65,038 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock traded down $2.42 during trading on Friday, hitting $166.61. 705,828 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 559,860. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 2.96 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $167.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $159.49. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.32 and a twelve month high of $184.27. The company has a market cap of $12.91 billion, a PE ratio of 25.87, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.55.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $653.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.99 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.74% and a return on equity of 46.93%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.06 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 7.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on WMS shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $773,180.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $773,180.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 85,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.10, for a total transaction of $14,961,805.80. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,007,555.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 176,004 shares of company stock valued at $30,547,285 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems 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.