Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 4,933.13 ($62.40).

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AHT. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 6,150 ($77.79) price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a GBX 6,600 ($83.48) price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Ashtead Group from GBX 5,300 ($67.04) to GBX 5,100 ($64.51) and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Ashtead Group from GBX 6,800 ($86.01) to GBX 6,500 ($82.22) and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Renata Ribeiro bought 160 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 5,273 ($66.70) per share, for a total transaction of £8,436.80 ($10,671.39). Insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Ashtead Group Stock Performance

LON AHT opened at GBX 5,132 ($64.91) on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 5,648.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 5,452.70. The firm has a market capitalization of £22.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,763.57, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.29. Ashtead Group has a fifty-two week low of GBX 4,437 ($56.12) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 6,180 ($78.17). The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 162.35, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Ashtead Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.28%. This is an increase from Ashtead Group’s previous dividend of $0.16. Ashtead Group’s payout ratio is presently 2,749.14%.

Ashtead Group Company Profile

Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services.