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

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $181.88.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WMS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. KeyCorp increased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE WMS opened at $154.86 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $168.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 52 week low of $102.32 and a 52 week high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $653.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $611.99 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 46.93% and a net margin of 17.74%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 7.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were given a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.94%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total transaction of $648,584.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $773,180.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total transaction of $648,584.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $773,180.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 85,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.10, for a total value of $14,961,805.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,007,555.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 176,004 shares of company stock valued at $30,547,285 in the last 90 days. 2.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Advanced Drainage Systems

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 14.1% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 43,567 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,959,000 after acquiring an additional 5,382 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 25,233 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,872,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 13.8% during the third quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 2,083 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 9.7% in the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 30,817 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 137.7% during the 3rd quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 10,600 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,207,000 after acquiring an additional 6,141 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

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.