Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on WMS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Advanced Drainage Systems in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $149.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $160.89.

Advanced Drainage Systems Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of WMS traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $109.01. The stock had a trading volume of 505,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 560,069. Advanced Drainage Systems has a 1-year low of $101.90 and a 1-year high of $184.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $129.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 3.21 and a quick ratio of 1.98.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The construction company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.25). Advanced Drainage Systems had a return on equity of 35.79% and a net margin of 15.90%. Sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Advanced Drainage Systems

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,332,268 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $847,610,000 after buying an additional 52,799 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 8.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,541,688 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $399,452,000 after acquiring an additional 206,105 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its position in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 34.6% in the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,530,000 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $291,723,000 after purchasing an additional 650,052 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems by 63.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,064,527 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $238,659,000 after purchasing an additional 799,569 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 45.8% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,732,827 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $200,315,000 after purchasing an additional 544,109 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.