Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $69.00 and last traded at $69.54, with a volume of 14948 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $70.35.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on ASH shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.00.

Ashland Trading Down 2.3 %

The company has a market cap of $3.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50-day moving average of $75.59 and a 200 day moving average of $84.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.02). Ashland had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The firm had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $524.07 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.41 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Ashland’s payout ratio is 48.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

In other news, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,188.74. The trade was a 3.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ashland

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ASH. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ashland by 105.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 61,058 shares in the last quarter. Farmers Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Ashland during the fourth quarter worth $2,105,000. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its position in shares of Ashland by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 3,570 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Ashland by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 140,741 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $10,064,000 after acquiring an additional 3,027 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Ashland by 363.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,739 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.