Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

WMS has been the topic of a number of other reports. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Stephens boosted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $155.13.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMS traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $170.65. The company had a trading volume of 225,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 478,805. The company's 50 day moving average price is $160.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.21. The company has a current ratio of 3.03, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market cap of $13.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.50. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 52-week low of $77.39 and a 52-week high of $176.31.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $662.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $632.69 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 70,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,532,087. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 70,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,532,087. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total value of $1,635,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,199,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Advanced Drainage Systems

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the third quarter worth $25,000. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the second quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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, 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.

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