Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Receives $188.38 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $188.3750.

WMS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $205.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Stephens upgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $175.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird set a $206.00 target price on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $181.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

NYSE:WMS opened at $143.91 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 2.12. Advanced Drainage Systems has a fifty-two week low of $128.03 and a fifty-two week high of $179.32. The firm has a market cap of $10.85 billion, a PE ratio of 24.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $146.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.25.

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

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Advanced Drainage Systems

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,172,482,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $156,587,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 234.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,188,906 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $164,901,000 after buying an additional 832,929 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the second quarter worth about $106,800,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 80.9% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,279,576 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $185,324,000 after buying an additional 572,193 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Drainage Systems Company Profile

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc (NYSE: WMS) is a leading manufacturer and supplier of water management solutions in North America. Headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, the company specializes in the design, production and distribution of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) drainage pipe and related products. Its core business addresses stormwater management, on-site septic systems and erosion control for residential, commercial and infrastructure projects.

The company’s product portfolio includes corrugated plastic pipe, tubing, fittings, geocells, geogrids and stormwater structures such as inlets, manholes and detention/retention systems.