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

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $165.3333.

WMS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $181.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $176.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Thursday, January 15th.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Up 4.6%

WMS stock traded up $7.37 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $167.63. The stock had a trading volume of 243,052 shares, compared to its average volume of 676,022. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 1-year low of $93.92 and a 1-year high of $169.92. The company has a fifty day moving average of $151.81 and a 200 day moving average of $143.12. The company has a current ratio of 3.48, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.70, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.34.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $693.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $686.37 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 28.85% and a net margin of 15.35%.The firm’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Advanced Drainage Systems

In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, EVP Thomas J. Sr. Waun sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $150,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,970 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,245,500. This trade represents a 6.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert M. Eversole sold 10,569 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.82, for a total transaction of $1,615,154.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 50,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,652,614.32. This trade represents a 17.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 97,772 shares of company stock worth $14,605,539 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Drainage Systems

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,836 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. RWC Asset Management LLP increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 2.7% in the third quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 3,234 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $449,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 16.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 702 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 19,900 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,286,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 17,000 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,953,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.