Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) Earns Overweight Rating from Stephens

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by equities research analysts at Stephens in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, September 21st, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $175.00 target price on the construction company’s stock. Stephens’ price objective suggests a potential upside of 33.54% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $205.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. Barclays increased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $181.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Advanced Drainage Systems has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $188.70.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 1.6%

NYSE:WMS traded down $2.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $131.05. The stock had a trading volume of 223,158 shares, compared to its average volume of 828,015. 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 stock has a market cap of $9.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.28. Advanced Drainage Systems has a fifty-two week low of $124.75 and a fifty-two week high of $179.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $138.13 and its 200 day moving average is $141.20.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $991.39 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.95 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Advanced Drainage Systems

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 78.1% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 244 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 150.8% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 301 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vega Investment Solutions bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in the second quarter valued at about $50,000. 89.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.