Robin E. Lampkin Sells 868 Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Stock

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $224,585.70. This represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Ashland Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE ASH traded up $0.08 on Monday, reaching $77.04. The stock had a trading volume of 403,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 422,412. 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 has a fifty day moving average price of $84.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.87. Ashland Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.33 and a 12-month high of $102.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.88.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 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 business 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 business earned $0.41 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ashland Inc. will post 4.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Sunday, December 1st will be paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ashland

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Ashland by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 57,986 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,956,000 after acquiring an additional 2,217 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Ashland in the first quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in Ashland by 9.0% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,806,137 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $175,864,000 after purchasing an additional 149,483 shares in the last quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ashland during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,184,000. Finally, MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ashland in the 1st quarter valued at $288,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Ashland from $116.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ashland from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $90.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Ashland from $105.00 to $92.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.57.

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.