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

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Free Report) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 336,663 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 14,220 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned about 0.43% of Advanced Drainage Systems worth $47,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in 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 valued at $783,005,000 after buying an additional 65,038 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 76.4% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,672,684 shares of the construction company's stock worth $561,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,890,821 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 55.8% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,054,386 shares of the construction company's stock worth $173,000,000 after purchasing an additional 735,476 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 15.0% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,570,278 shares of the construction company's stock worth $178,745,000 after purchasing an additional 204,267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 13.3% in the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,445,326 shares of the construction company's stock worth $164,521,000 after purchasing an additional 169,517 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company's stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

NYSE:WMS traded up $5.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $170.97. 312,395 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 469,116. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $160.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.67. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $75.76 and a one year high of $176.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 3.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $13.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.50.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $662.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $632.69 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 49.79% and a net margin of 17.65%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.99 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WMS. Stephens boosted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com raised Advanced Drainage Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $155.13.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Drainage Systems

In other news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total value of $1,635,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,199,344. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total value of $124,351,885.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 70,749 shares in the company, valued at $11,532,087. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total value of $1,635,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,199,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.79% of the company's stock.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.