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

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $102.00.

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

Ashland Stock Down 3.3 %

Ashland stock opened at $70.73 on Thursday. Ashland has a 1-year low of $68.14 and a 1-year high of $102.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 21.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $73.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.91.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.02). Ashland had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 7.95%. The firm had revenue of $522.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $524.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.41 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ashland will post 4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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 that occurred 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 sale, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at $224,585.70. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASH. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ashland during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Ashland by 193.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in Ashland in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Ashland in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Ashland by 610.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is currently 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.