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Advanced Drainage stock dips as KeyBanc adjusts target, citing margin headwinds

EditorAhmed Abdulazez Abdulkadir
Published 11/11/2024, 16:30
WMS
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On Monday (NASDAQ:MNDY), KeyBanc Capital Markets adjusted its price target for Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:NYSE:WMS), a leading provider of water management solutions. The firm's analyst has reduced the target to $180 from the previous $195 while maintaining an Overweight rating on the stock.

The adjustment follows the company's fiscal second-quarter 2025 earnings report. Despite the reduction in the price target, KeyBanc continues to see the stock favorably, citing the recent dip in share prices as an opportunity for investors to engage with a strong business narrative.

The firm acknowledges the challenges in the non-residential market and margin pressures from pricing, attributing them primarily to increased input costs rather than a weakening of the company's pricing power.

KeyBanc's stance is that the current issues are short-term and that Advanced Drainage Systems is well-positioned for long-term growth. The firm emphasizes the potential for margin improvements and the benefits the company could reap from material conversion tailwinds. These factors are seen as instrumental in supporting the company's future performance.

The analyst from KeyBanc highlighted that while the market endures some choppiness and margin trends may be less predictable, the lower price target still reflects confidence in the company's long-term prospects. The firm believes that Advanced Drainage Systems has several strategies at its disposal to enhance margins over time.

Investors and market watchers will be observing how Advanced Drainage Systems navigates the current economic landscape and whether the company can capitalize on the opportunities outlined by KeyBanc to strengthen its market position and financial performance.

In other recent news, Advanced Drainage Systems reported mixed Q2 earnings for fiscal year 2025, with residential and infrastructure sales increasing by 6% and 7% respectively. However, due to disruptions caused by severe weather and a slowdown in non-residential construction, revenue expectations were reduced by about $80 million. The company also announced the completion of the acquisition of Orenco Systems, expected to contribute $40 million to $50 million in revenue for the fiscal year.

In response to these developments, Oppenheimer maintained its Outperform rating on Advanced Drainage Systems but reduced the price target from $192.00 to $184.00. Loop Capital also revised its price target for Advanced Drainage Systems to $170, down from $180, while maintaining a buy rating.

Advanced Drainage Systems has revised its fiscal year 2025 sales outlook to a range of $2,900 million to $2,975 million, indicating a year-over-year growth of 1% to 4%. The EBITDA guidance has also been adjusted to $880 million to $920 million. These are among the recent developments for the company.

InvestingPro Insights

Recent InvestingPro data provides additional context to KeyBanc's analysis of Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS). The company's market capitalization stands at $10.44 billion, with a P/E ratio of 21.68, reflecting the market's current valuation of the stock. Despite recent challenges, WMS has demonstrated financial resilience, with revenue of $2.91 billion in the last twelve months as of Q2 2025 and a robust operating income margin of 24.29%.

InvestingPro Tips highlight both strengths and potential concerns for investors. On the positive side, WMS has maintained dividend payments for 11 consecutive years and has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years, indicating a commitment to shareholder returns. This aligns with KeyBanc's view of the company's long-term potential. However, the stock has taken a significant hit over the last week, with a 1-week price total return of -10.53%, which may reflect the short-term challenges mentioned in the KeyBanc report.

It's worth noting that WMS is trading at a high Price / Book multiple of 7.6, which could suggest that the stock is priced at a premium relative to its book value. This valuation metric, combined with the InvestingPro Tip indicating that WMS is trading at a high P/E ratio relative to near-term earnings growth, underscores the importance of KeyBanc's emphasis on the company's long-term growth prospects rather than short-term fluctuations.

For investors seeking a more comprehensive analysis, InvestingPro offers 12 additional tips for WMS, providing a deeper understanding of the company's financial health and market position.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

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