Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Receives $103.29 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $103.29.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ASH shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Ashland from $92.00 to $83.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Ashland from $116.00 to $107.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 15th. StockNews.com cut Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ashland from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 8th.

Ashland Stock Performance

NYSE:ASH opened at $77.97 on Wednesday. Ashland has a 1 year low of $75.04 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.05. The company has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.88.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $524.07 million. Ashland had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The company's revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Ashland will post 4.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Ashland's payout ratio is 48.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total value of $67,617.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,585.70. The trade was 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. 0.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ashland

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ashland during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Ashland by 193.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 381 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Ashland in the third quarter worth $38,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in Ashland by 610.5% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Ashland by 133.8% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 650 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. 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.