Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $185.75.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WMS shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $198.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research lowered Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Stephens raised Advanced Drainage Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 22nd.

Institutional Trading of Advanced Drainage Systems

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 352.0% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.1% during the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 244 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of WMS opened at $152.24 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $141.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $148.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.99, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.26. Advanced Drainage Systems has a twelve month low of $109.63 and a twelve month high of $179.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $676.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $651.92 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. Advanced Drainage Systems’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $0.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is currently 14.71%.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.