Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Shares Acquired by Ceredex Value Advisors LLC

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) by 18.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 148,433 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 22,600 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.31% of Ashland worth $10,607,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Ashland in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Ashland in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in Ashland during the 4th quarter worth $56,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 80.6% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 959 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 84.1% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 994 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

In other news, CEO Guillermo Novo acquired 31,294 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $64.24 per share, with a total value of $2,010,326.56. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,294 shares in the company, valued at $2,010,326.56. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho set a $60.00 price target on Ashland in a report on Tuesday. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Ashland from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Ashland from $69.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.20.

Ashland Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE:ASH traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $50.45. The company had a trading volume of 404,331 shares, compared to its average volume of 510,844. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -76.44, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.70. Ashland Inc. has a 1 year low of $45.21 and a 1 year 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.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $0.45 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Saturday, March 1st were paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Ashland's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -245.45%.

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.