Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $102.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ASH shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

In related news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at $224,585.70. The trade was a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were 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 directly owns 14,182 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,188.74. This trade represents a 3.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ashland in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Ashland by 193.1% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Ashland during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Ashland in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ashland by 610.5% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company's stock.

Ashland Price Performance

Shares of Ashland stock traded up $0.49 during trading on Thursday, reaching $70.79. 366,849 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 489,815. Ashland has a 52-week low of $68.14 and a 52-week 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.65. The company has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.87.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $522.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $524.07 million. Ashland had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Ashland will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Ashland's payout ratio is currently 48.36%.

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.