Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Receives $95.57 Average Target Price from Analysts

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $95.57.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ASH. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Ashland Stock Down 0.9 %

ASH opened at $64.02 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $70.20 and a 200-day moving average of $79.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -97.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 2.52, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Ashland has a 1-year low of $60.60 and a 1-year high of $102.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued 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 negative net margin of 1.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.41%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ashland will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. Ashland’s payout ratio is -245.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ashland news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $224,585.70. This represents a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,188.74. The trade was 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ashland

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Ashland by 105.1% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 119,135 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $8,513,000 after acquiring an additional 61,058 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new stake in Ashland in the third quarter valued at about $3,134,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Ashland by 138.6% in 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 period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Ashland by 66.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 169,618 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,752,000 after buying an additional 67,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Ashland by 703.7% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 184,806 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,206,000 after buying an additional 161,812 shares during the period. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ashland

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.