Brokerages Set Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Target Price at $103.50

Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $103.50.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Ashland from $105.00 to $92.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ashland from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $90.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norden Group LLC acquired a new position in Ashland during the first quarter worth approximately $224,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Ashland by 40.6% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 12,139 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ashland by 427.1% in the 1st quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,928 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after acquiring an additional 12,096 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in Ashland during the 1st quarter valued at $140,000. Finally, Duality Advisers LP boosted its position in Ashland by 79.3% during the first quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 11,557 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,125,000 after purchasing an additional 5,113 shares during the period. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ashland Price Performance

Shares of ASH opened at $85.32 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $91.92. Ashland has a 52-week low of $71.55 and a 52-week high of $102.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 2.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a PE ratio of 29.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.88.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $544.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.08 million. Ashland had a net margin of 7.01% and a return on equity of 5.98%. The firm’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Ashland will post 4.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Investors of record on Sunday, September 1st were paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.92%.

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.