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

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $107.88.

Several research firms have weighed in on ASH. Mizuho upped their target price on Ashland from $101.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ashland from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ashland from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $112.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ashland from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th.

Ashland Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of ASH opened at $95.83 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $96.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.30. Ashland has a twelve month low of $70.82 and a twelve month high of $102.50. The company has a current ratio of 3.15, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.42, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.90.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $575.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $574.64 million. Ashland had a return on equity of 5.57% and a net margin of 9.09%. The company’s revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ashland will post 4.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. This is a boost from Ashland’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Ashland’s payout ratio is presently 42.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Ashland by 122.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 278 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ashland in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Ashland by 143.9% in the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 163.7% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 559 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in Ashland during the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. 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.