Vest Financial LLC Has $5.88 Million Stock Holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. $WMS

Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 24.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,357 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 8,326 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $5,875,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 177.4% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 430 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 77.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,371 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 1,474 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 11,036.2% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,234 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $601,000 after buying an additional 5,187 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the second quarter worth approximately $336,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 38.5% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,125 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of WMS stock opened at $157.23 on Thursday. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.92 and a fifty-two week high of $160.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 3.48. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.45. The company has a market cap of $12.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.83, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.33.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The construction company reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $850.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $802.49 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 15.35% and a return on equity of 28.85%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $176.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $181.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Advanced Drainage Systems has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $164.22.

Insider Activity at Advanced Drainage Systems

In other news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 4,901 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.21, for a total value of $731,278.21. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 2,467 shares in the company, valued at $368,101.07. This trade represents a 66.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Thomas J. Sr. Waun sold 1,272 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.30, for a total value of $188,637.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 797 shares in the company, valued at approximately $118,195.10. This trade represents a 61.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 97,772 shares of company stock worth $14,605,539 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.63% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc (NYSE: WMS) is a leading manufacturer and supplier of water management solutions in North America. Headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, the company specializes in the design, production and distribution of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) drainage pipe and related products. Its core business addresses stormwater management, on-site septic systems and erosion control for residential, commercial and infrastructure projects.

The company’s product portfolio includes corrugated plastic pipe, tubing, fittings, geocells, geogrids and stormwater structures such as inlets, manholes and detention/retention systems.