Analysts Set Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Target Price at $85.40

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the six research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $85.40.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ASH shares. 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 note on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ashland from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Ashland from $80.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com cut Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th.

Insider Activity at Ashland

In other news, CEO Guillermo Novo bought 31,294 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $64.24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 31,294 shares in the company, valued at $2,010,326.56. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ashland

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in Ashland during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Ashland during the third quarter worth $38,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in Ashland during the fourth quarter valued at $56,000. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Ashland by 80.6% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 959 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in Ashland by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 994 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ashland Stock Down 7.5 %

Shares of NYSE ASH traded down $4.00 on Tuesday, reaching $49.08. 1,426,705 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 496,350. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $60.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $72.56. Ashland has a 12 month low of $47.29 and a 12 month high of $102.50. The company has a market cap of $2.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -74.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.51). Ashland had a negative net margin of 1.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.41%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.45 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ashland will post 4.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st were paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Ashland's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -245.45%.

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.