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

Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $85.40.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ASH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ashland from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $68.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Ashland from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Ashland Stock Up 0.7 %

ASH stock opened at $59.41 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.52 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -90.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.89. Ashland has a fifty-two week low of $54.86 and a fifty-two week high of $102.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $62.29 and a 200-day moving average of $73.37.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.51). Ashland had a positive return on equity of 7.41% and a negative net margin of 1.12%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ashland will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st were given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Ashland’s payout ratio is presently -245.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ashland news, CEO Guillermo Novo purchased 31,294 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $64.24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 31,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,010,326.56. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ASH. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Ashland by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,590 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in Ashland by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 5,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ashland by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 5,613 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ashland by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerce Bank increased its position in shares of Ashland by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 5,042 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $360,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

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.