Advanced Drainage Systems’ (WMS) “Overweight” Rating Reiterated at Stephens

Stephens restated their overweight rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) in a research report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $175.00 target price on the construction company’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group upped their target price 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. Zacks Research raised Advanced Drainage Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $206.00 target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $188.70.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $129.76 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $9.78 billion, a PE ratio of 22.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $138.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $141.44. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 1 year low of $124.75 and a 1 year high of $179.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.18.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.39. The company 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 firm’s revenue was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.95 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Advanced Drainage Systems

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMS. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the second quarter valued at approximately $283,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 9,471 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,487,000 after buying an additional 652 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 95.4% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,581 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $405,000 after acquiring an additional 1,260 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 560.7% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 128,123 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $20,110,000 after acquiring an additional 108,732 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 2nd quarter worth $324,000. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.