Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) Now Covered by Analysts at Northcoast Research

Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) in a report issued on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $190.00 price objective on the construction company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on WMS. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. StockNews.com upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $162.56.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Up 0.0 %

WMS stock opened at $168.19 on Wednesday. Advanced Drainage Systems has a twelve month low of $84.71 and a twelve month high of $176.31. The company has a current ratio of 3.03, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company has a market capitalization of $13.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.74, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.51. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.28.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.44. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 49.79% and a net margin of 17.65%. The firm had revenue of $662.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $632.69 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Advanced Drainage Systems

In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total value of $1,635,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,199,344. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total transaction of $1,635,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,199,344. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total value of $124,351,885.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 70,749 shares in the company, valued at $11,532,087. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WMS. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.