Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Receives $181.88 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $188.86.

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMS. Barclays boosted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $189.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. StockNews.com cut Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Stephens boosted their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $182.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Northcoast Research began coverage on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price target for the company.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Advanced Drainage Systems news, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 85,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.10, for a total transaction of $14,961,805.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,007,555.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider D. Scott Barbour sold 85,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.10, for a total value of $14,961,805.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,007,555.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Tim A. Makowski sold 3,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.68, for a total value of $648,584.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $773,180.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 176,004 shares of company stock valued at $30,547,285. Insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Advanced Drainage Systems

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 319.4% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 151 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,472.7% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 173 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 133.3% during the 2nd quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 175 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 4.5 %

Advanced Drainage Systems stock opened at $161.53 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.55. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 52 week low of $102.32 and a 52 week high of $184.27. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $166.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $162.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 16th. The construction company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $653.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.99 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 46.93% and a net margin of 17.74%. Advanced Drainage Systems’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.06 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 7.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. This is a positive change from Advanced Drainage Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is 9.94%.

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.