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

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $187.00.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WMS. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Barclays raised their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $181.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th.

Institutional Trading of Advanced Drainage Systems

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WMS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 352.0% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 226 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.1% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 244 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $143.13 on Thursday. 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’s fifty day moving average is $142.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $148.66. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 52 week low of $110.85 and a 52 week high of $179.32. The company has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a PE ratio of 26.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.26.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The construction company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $676.76 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $651.92 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 26.63% and a net margin of 13.98%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is an increase from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is 14.71%.

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.