Ashtead Group (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) Share Price Passes Below 50 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTY - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $274.93 and traded as low as $264.31. Ashtead Group shares last traded at $325.13, with a volume of 17,002 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASHTY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised Ashtead Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Ashtead Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Ashtead Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.69. The business has a fifty day moving average of $273.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $287.52.

Ashtead Group (OTCMKTS:ASHTY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $4.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.96 by ($0.32). Ashtead Group had a return on equity of 22.65% and a net margin of 14.78%. As a group, research analysts predict that Ashtead Group plc will post 14.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashtead Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 24th. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th will be paid a $1.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Ashtead Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.70%.

About Ashtead Group

Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services.