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

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $102.00.

A number of analysts have weighed in on ASH shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th.

Ashland Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE ASH opened at $70.27 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $74.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.74. Ashland has a 52-week low of $68.14 and a 52-week high of $102.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.98, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.87.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $524.07 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Ashland will post 4.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

In other news, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total transaction of $35,209.57. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,107,188.74. This trade represents a 3.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares in the company, 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 owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASH. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Ashland during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Ashland by 193.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Ashland in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Ashland in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Ashland by 610.5% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is 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.