Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $139.88.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $146.00 to $141.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE WMS opened at $113.58 on Wednesday. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 12-month low of $93.92 and a 12-month high of $179.57. The stock has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a PE ratio of 19.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The company has a 50-day moving average of $112.33 and a 200 day moving average of $115.46.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The construction company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.09 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $615.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $653.22 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 15.50% and a return on equity of 32.33%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. This is a boost from Advanced Drainage Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Advanced Drainage Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.50%.

Institutional Trading of Advanced Drainage Systems

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 76.2% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 266 shares of the construction company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 1st quarter valued at about $66,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $74,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 110.7% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 670 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company's stock.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products in North America and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments. It offers single, double, and triple wall corrugated polypropylene and polyethylene pipes; plastic leachfield chambers and systems; EZflow synthetic aggregate bundles; wastewater purification through mechanical aeration wastewater for residential and commercial systems; septic tanks and accessories; combined treatment and dispersal systems, including advanced enviro-septic and advanced treatment leachfield systems; and allied products, including storm retention/detention and septic chambers, polyvinyl chloride drainage structures, fittings, and water quality filters and separators.

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