29,456 Shares in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Bought by Farmers Trust Co.

Farmers Trust Co. acquired a new position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 29,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Ashland during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,134,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Ashland by 2.3% in the second quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 671,948 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $63,492,000 after purchasing an additional 14,938 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Ashland by 138.6% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 120,741 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,501,000 after buying an additional 70,145 shares during the last quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Ashland in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,442,000. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 581,204 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $54,918,000 after acquiring an additional 13,577 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at $224,585.70. The trade was a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,188.74. This trade represents a 3.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ashland Trading Down 1.3 %

ASH stock traded down $0.94 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.31. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 167,842 shares, compared to its average volume of 454,669. Ashland Inc. has a 1 year low of $69.25 and a 1 year high of $102.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.99, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.44.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $524.07 million. Ashland had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. Ashland’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Ashland’s payout ratio is 48.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.00.

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.