Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Sets New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $76.00 and last traded at $76.00, with a volume of 556 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $76.96.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ASH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ashland from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Ashland from $105.00 to $92.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Ashland from $116.00 to $107.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.57.

Ashland Stock Performance

The business's fifty day moving average is $84.99 and its 200-day moving average is $90.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market cap of $3.76 billion, a PE ratio of 22.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.88.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last issued 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 business had revenue of $522.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $524.07 million. Ashland had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 7.95%. The company's 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Ashland's payout ratio is currently 48.36%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ashland during the third quarter valued at $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings 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. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Ashland by 133.8% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 650 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Ashland during the second quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company's stock.

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.