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

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $159.13.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Stephens upped their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of 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 boosted their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE WMS opened at $161.45 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $12.53 billion, a PE ratio of 25.67, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.50. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 12 month low of $80.41 and a 12 month high of $176.31. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $164.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $140.14. The company has a current ratio of 3.03, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.44. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.65% and a return on equity of 49.79%. The business had revenue of $662.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $632.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is 8.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Avalon Trust Co purchased a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

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.