Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Stake Lowered by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,153 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 774 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ashland were worth $1,226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ashland by 6,127.2% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 880,459 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $76,574,000 after purchasing an additional 866,320 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Ashland by 12.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,598,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $226,000,000 after buying an additional 284,215 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Ashland by 2,060.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 179,151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $12,802,000 after acquiring an additional 170,859 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Ashland by 703.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 184,806 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,206,000 after acquiring an additional 161,812 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in Ashland by 6.3% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,737,738 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $151,131,000 after acquiring an additional 103,517 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Ashland Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ASH opened at $64.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $69.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.74. The company has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -98.45, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.86. Ashland Inc. has a twelve month low of $60.60 and a twelve month high of $102.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. Ashland’s payout ratio is -245.45%.

Insider Activity at Ashland

In related news, CEO Guillermo Novo purchased 31,294 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $64.24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Corporate insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ASH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price 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 decreased their price target on Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group cut 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.57.

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.