Private Trust Co. NA Has $145,000 Stake in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Private Trust Co. NA lowered its position in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 21.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,667 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 450 shares during the quarter. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in Ashland were worth $145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ASH. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 83.7% during the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 18,987 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,651,000 after buying an additional 8,650 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in Ashland by 465.0% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 42,287 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,678,000 after purchasing an additional 34,802 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 5.5% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,104 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ashland by 75.7% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 205,218 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $16,614,000 after purchasing an additional 88,425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Ashland by 6,127.2% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 880,459 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $76,574,000 after buying an additional 866,320 shares in the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ashland Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ASH opened at $78.14 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.33, a PEG ratio of 1.16 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $83.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.75. Ashland Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.04 and a twelve month high of $102.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.02). Ashland had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 7.95%. The business had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $524.07 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ashland Inc. will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, December 1st will be given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is 48.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 value of $67,617.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $224,585.70. The trade was a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ASH shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. UBS Group decreased their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Ashland from $92.00 to $83.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ashland from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $89.00 in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ashland presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.29.

About Ashland

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.