Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Wednesday morning.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Advanced Drainage Systems presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $159.13.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

WMS stock opened at $164.89 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $12.80 billion, a PE ratio of 26.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.51. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 12 month low of $82.00 and a 12 month high of $176.31. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $164.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $141.58. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $632.69 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.90%.

Insider Activity at Advanced Drainage Systems

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Advanced Drainage Systems

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WMS. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Avalon Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth $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.