Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $103.29.

A number of brokerages recently commented on ASH. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ashland from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Ashland from $116.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Ashland from $92.00 to $83.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th.

Insider Activity at Ashland

In related news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at $224,585.70. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ashland

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ashland in the third quarter worth $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Ashland by 193.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Ashland in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Ashland by 610.5% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 133.8% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 650 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Ashland Stock Performance

NYSE ASH opened at $77.97 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $84.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.05. Ashland has a 12-month low of $75.04 and a 12-month high of $102.50. The company has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.02). Ashland had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The company had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $524.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Ashland will post 4.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.36%.

Ashland Company Profile

Ashland Inc provides additives and specialty ingredients in the North and Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates through Life Sciences, Personal Care, Specialty Additives, and Intermediates segments. The Life Sciences segment offers pharmaceutical solutions, including controlled release polymers, disintegrants, tablet coatings, thickeners, solubilizers, and tablet binders; nutrition solutions, such as thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and additives; and nutraceutical solutions comprising products for weight management, joint comfort, stomach and intestinal health, sports nutrition, and general wellness, as well as custom formulation, toll processing, and particle engineering solutions.