Boston Partners Has $41.25 Million Stock Holdings in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Boston Partners boosted its position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) by 47.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 577,633 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 184,954 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned about 1.22% of Ashland worth $41,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ashland by 6,127.2% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 880,459 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $76,574,000 after acquiring an additional 866,320 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ashland during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,943,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Ashland by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,598,602 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $226,000,000 after purchasing an additional 284,215 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ashland by 2,060.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 179,151 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $12,802,000 after purchasing an additional 170,859 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Ashland by 703.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 184,806 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $13,206,000 after buying an additional 161,812 shares in the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Remove Ads

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Guillermo Novo purchased 31,294 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $64.24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 31,294 shares in the company, valued at $2,010,326.56. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on ASH shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ashland currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $87.00.

Ashland Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:ASH traded up $0.79 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $57.24. 718,141 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 461,701. Ashland Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.86 and a fifty-two week high of $102.50. The company has a current ratio of 2.52, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -86.72, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.49.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.51). Ashland had a positive return on equity of 7.41% and a negative net margin of 1.12%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.45 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Ashland's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -245.45%.

Ashland 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.