Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) Research Coverage Started at Northcoast Research

Investment analysts at Northcoast Research assumed coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) in a report issued on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target on the construction company’s stock. Northcoast Research’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 13.06% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on WMS. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Stephens increased 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 note on Friday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.56.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:WMS opened at $168.05 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $164.67 and its 200 day moving average is $143.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 3.03 and a quick ratio of 2.04. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 1 year low of $84.71 and a 1 year high of $176.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.51.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,199,344. 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 on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total transaction of $124,351,885.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 70,749 shares in the company, valued at $11,532,087. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,199,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Drainage Systems

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,878,726 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $783,005,000 after buying an additional 65,038 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 13.3% in the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,445,326 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $164,521,000 after acquiring an additional 169,517 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,385,780 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $157,743,000 after acquiring an additional 104,272 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,299,489 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $182,737,000 after purchasing an additional 178,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 692,211 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $78,794,000 after purchasing an additional 20,947 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.