Trust Co. of Vermont Acquires Shares of 1,392 Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS)

Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 1,392 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WMS. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 1st quarter worth approximately $220,853,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth $88,640,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,265,169 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,251,353,000 after purchasing an additional 395,099 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 107.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 567,504 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $79,814,000 after purchasing an additional 293,924 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 659,483 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $92,750,000 after purchasing an additional 289,925 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WMS shares. Stephens raised their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $182.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. StockNews.com cut Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $188.86.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock traded down $2.34 on Wednesday, hitting $151.84. The company had a trading volume of 449,886 shares, compared to its average volume of 489,142. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.55. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.32 and a twelve month high of $184.27. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $165.76 and a 200-day moving average of $162.86.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. Research analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a $0.16 dividend. This is an increase from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.58, for a total transaction of $1,725,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,225 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,246,890.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total value of $648,584.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $773,180.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.58, for a total transaction of $1,725,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,225 shares in the company, valued at $1,246,890.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 176,004 shares of company stock worth $30,547,285 in the last ninety days. Company 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.