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

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $187.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $168.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $198.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

NYSE:WMS opened at $135.82 on Wednesday. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 52 week low of $106.96 and a 52 week high of $179.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.40 billion, a PE ratio of 24.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $142.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $149.90.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.12. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 26.63% and a net margin of 13.98%.The firm had revenue of $676.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $651.92 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.03 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 14.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 1st quarter valued at about $7,459,000. Dayah Capital LLC purchased a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,755,000. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 1st quarter valued at about $566,000. Amundi lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 1,288,672 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $176,734,000 after buying an additional 9,096 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 128.4% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.