Stephens Reaffirms “Equal Weight” Rating for Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS)

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating reiterated by analysts at Stephens in a report issued on Wednesday. They currently have a $135.00 target price on the construction company’s stock, down from their previous target price of $170.00. Stephens’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 3.08% from the company’s previous close.

WMS has been the topic of several other reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $174.00 to $161.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Barclays decreased their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $194.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com cut Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.29.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Down 3.6 %

Shares of WMS opened at $130.97 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $150.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $159.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 3.19. The firm has a market cap of $10.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.53. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 52 week low of $112.11 and a 52 week high of $184.27.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The construction company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by ($0.23). Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 40.31% and a net margin of 16.89%. The firm had revenue of $782.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $819.41 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.71 EPS. Advanced Drainage Systems’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Advanced Drainage Systems

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WMS. Independent Advisor Alliance bought a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems during the third quarter valued at approximately $939,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 2,839 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 4.3% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 28,432 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,468,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,867 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 562,052 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $88,332,000 after buying an additional 75,008 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.83% of the company’s stock.

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.