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

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $103.29.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Ashland from $116.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Ashland from $92.00 to $83.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com lowered Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ashland from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $89.00 in a report on Thursday, August 8th.

Ashland Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of Ashland stock opened at $77.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The business has a 50-day moving average of $84.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $90.05. Ashland has a 1 year low of $75.04 and a 1 year high of $102.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $524.07 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. Ashland’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ashland will post 4.82 EPS for the current year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st will be issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. Ashland’s payout ratio is presently 48.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ashland news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,585.70. The trade was a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ashland

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Equitable Trust Co. grew 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 buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its position in shares of Ashland by 5.5% in 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 last quarter. Creative Planning increased its stake 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. lifted its holdings in Ashland by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.