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

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $188.70.

WMS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. National Bank Financial set a $190.00 price target on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Monday, August 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $205.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $181.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,172,482,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $156,587,000. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $106,800,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 32.9% in the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,204,801 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $302,290,000 after purchasing an additional 546,298 shares during the period. Finally, Hill City Capital LP bought a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the second quarter valued at approximately $75,340,800. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $125.68 on Friday. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 1 year low of $124.75 and a 1 year high of $179.32. The firm has a market cap of $9.48 billion, a PE ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $140.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.34.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $991.39 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 28.28%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.95 EPS. Analysts expect that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.82%.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc (NYSE: WMS) designs and manufactures water management products for the construction, infrastructure, agriculture and residential markets. Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, the company is known for its thermoplastic corrugated pipe and related systems used to collect, convey, store and manage stormwater and wastewater.

Its product portfolio includes stormwater detention and infiltration systems, sanitary and septic sewer products, agricultural drainage systems, erosion and sediment control products, and water-quality solutions.