Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) Upgraded to Buy at UBS Group

UBS Group upgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $155.00 price target on the construction company’s stock.

WMS has been the topic of several other reports. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $194.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (down previously from $170.00) on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.38.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMS opened at $115.00 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.19, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $128.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.41. The company has a market cap of $8.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.51. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 12 month low of $113.10 and a 12 month high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The construction company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $782.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $819.41 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 16.89% and a return on equity of 40.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.71 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.19%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Drainage Systems

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMS. Northcape Capital Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Northcape Capital Pty Ltd now owns 16,509 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,908,000 after buying an additional 4,016 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 73,203 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,554,000 after purchasing an additional 4,221 shares during the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $230,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 31.8% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,011 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,186,878 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $186,578,000 after buying an additional 59,158 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 designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products in North America and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments. It offers single, double, and triple wall corrugated polypropylene and polyethylene pipes; plastic leachfield chambers and systems; EZflow synthetic aggregate bundles; wastewater purification through mechanical aeration wastewater for residential and commercial systems; septic tanks and accessories; combined treatment and dispersal systems, including advanced enviro-septic and advanced treatment leachfield systems; and allied products, including storm retention/detention and septic chambers, polyvinyl chloride drainage structures, fittings, and water quality filters and separators.