Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $186.00.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $205.00 price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $176.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $187.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

WMS stock opened at $134.59 on Friday. Advanced Drainage Systems has a twelve month low of $93.92 and a twelve month high of $179.32. The company has a quick ratio of 3.08, a current ratio of 4.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $10.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.27. The business’s fifty day moving average is $158.79 and its 200-day moving average is $149.57.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.16. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 15.75%.The business had revenue of $693.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $686.37 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.09 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.1 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is 11.98%.

Institutional Trading of Advanced Drainage Systems

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMS. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $156,587,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 234.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,188,906 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $164,901,000 after buying an additional 832,929 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 80.9% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,279,576 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $185,324,000 after buying an additional 572,193 shares during the period. Interval Partners LP increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 98.0% during the third quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 968,534 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $134,336,000 after acquiring an additional 479,413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 875.8% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 458,910 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $66,464,000 after acquiring an additional 411,883 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.