Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Shares Acquired by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) by 106.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,895 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 10,770 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's holdings in Ashland were worth $1,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ashland by 105.1% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 119,135 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $8,513,000 after buying an additional 61,058 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new stake in Ashland in the third quarter worth $3,134,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Ashland by 138.6% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 120,741 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $10,501,000 after purchasing an additional 70,145 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Ashland by 66.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 169,618 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $14,752,000 after acquiring an additional 67,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Ashland by 703.7% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 184,806 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $13,206,000 after buying an additional 161,812 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.95% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity at Ashland

In other news, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $1,107,188.74. This trade represents a 3.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Guillermo Novo bought 31,294 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $64.24 per share, with a total value of $2,010,326.56. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,294 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,010,326.56. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ashland Trading Up 5.1 %

Shares of ASH stock traded up $2.88 on Wednesday, hitting $59.48. The stock had a trading volume of 902,430 shares, compared to its average volume of 433,807. The company's 50 day moving average price is $67.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of -90.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.52 and a quick ratio of 1.27. Ashland Inc. has a 1 year low of $56.46 and a 1 year high of $102.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 business earned $0.45 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. Ashland's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -245.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASH has been the subject of several recent research reports. 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 report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ashland presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $93.50.

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.