Robert W. Baird Cuts Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) Price Target to $161.00

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) had its target price lowered by Robert W. Baird from $174.00 to $161.00 in a research note published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the construction company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on WMS. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $192.00 to $184.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays cut their price objective on Advanced Drainage Systems from $202.00 to $194.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Loop Capital decreased their target price on Advanced Drainage Systems from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $195.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.29.

Advanced Drainage Systems Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WMS opened at $130.31 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $150.43 and its 200 day moving average is $158.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.15. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 1 year low of $116.98 and a 1 year high of $184.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.53.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The construction company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.93 by ($0.23). The company had revenue of $782.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $819.41 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 16.89% and a return on equity of 40.31%. The business’s revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.71 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Advanced Drainage Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.19%.

Institutional Trading of Advanced Drainage Systems

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMS. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 319.4% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 151 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 133.3% in the 2nd quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 175 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 1,472.7% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 173 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI acquired a new position in Advanced Drainage Systems in the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its position in Advanced Drainage Systems by 123.1% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 386 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. 89.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

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.