Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Michael Halloran: So just clarifying that last point then. So if I think about the cadence through the year that’s assumed in guidance, if 2Q is probably at the upper end of the full year range, maybe a little better than that. And then back half, we’re probably tracking to the low end or below the range relatively typical seasonality. Is that the thought process as far as the margin cadence that’s assumed in guidance as of today?

Scott Cottrill: Yes, absolutely, Michael, you’re spot on. That’s exactly the way to think about it.

Michael Halloran: Okay. And also just back to the first question here. When you think about the price cost commentary and the price cost curve on a forward basis, recognizing that there is some dynamic things going on market to market. It doesn’t feel like you feel all that differently about your ability to maintain a pretty healthy price cost spread as we look forward from here, correct?

Scott Cottrill: Correct. Yes. I’d say sequentially that just be aware on the year-over-year comps that’s going to get more difficult as we get to the back half. But sequentially, is the right way to think about that comment that you just made, Michael.

Michael Halloran: Any way to help on how much mix was the benefit in the quarter on that margin line?

Scott Cottrill: Mix — it was a benefit. It’s not significant. It is absolutely something we keep in mind and look at. We did — Scott mentioned about the ag season to be a little bit compressed in the spring. But again, we still remain bullish on that for the full year. So we’ll see. So that favorability in Q1, if it comes to fruition like we think in the fall, then we’ll have a little bit of a negative impact from mix coming up, and that’s the way we’re thinking about it.

Scott Barbour: Better volume behavior — a little negative mix — absorption, all those. But I think if I looked at that green bar, Mike, of $50 million, it’s kind of minimal mix doing well, doing pretty good on price, and it’s more material driven. What we’ve really seen is the composition of that bar, while remaining green, the drivers of it have shifted from price to materials and a little bit of mix in there, just like we talked about it.

Michael Halloran: Yes. No, that makes sense. And then on the non-rise side of the things, recognizing you’re super early in the process and also understanding the credit tightening concerns out there. Do you think — how would you characterize the level of projects available in the marketplace and I don’t necessarily mean ready to go today. But from a backlog or a front log perspective that maybe if people feel a little bit more comfortable with the backdrop, they could start putting shovel to ground some quickly. And kind of any thoughts on that side?

Scott Barbour: Yes. That’s — there’s a lot to unpack underneath that. So let’s start with our quoting activity remains positive year-over-year. Now that’s on a kind of a dollar basis. The composition of the projects underneath there has changed a bit. there’s a lot more big projects in there as we pursue some of the onshoring stuff and the EV and the battery things. But quoting is good. I would say, though, there are less projects on the street, particularly projects that might have been speculative in nature. And we’ve kind of dug around on that. And we use this anecdote that what we hear is I did four projects last year, I’d like to do four again. I can probably only do two because my credit circumstances have changed, have to go find more equity to put into a project and — or I can’t fill it up quite yet.