MML Investors Services LLC Has $411,000 Holdings in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 25.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,729 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 966 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Ashland were worth $411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ASH. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its stake in Ashland by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 6,431 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $559,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ashland by 2.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 7,295 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $681,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew 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 worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 3.8% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 4,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Ashland by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $307,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

In other Ashland news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at $224,585.70. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,188.74. This represents a 3.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASH has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target 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. StockNews.com downgraded Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ashland currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.00.

Ashland Price Performance

ASH opened at $71.41 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.44. The firm has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.86. Ashland Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $70.70 and a fifty-two week high of $102.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $80.16 and a 200 day moving average of $86.95.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $522.00 million for 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Ashland’s payout ratio is currently 48.36%.

Ashland 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.