Jump Financial LLC Makes New Investment in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 9,300 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $665,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Xponance Inc. lifted its position in Ashland by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 5,613 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,541 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $253,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 3,964 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $345,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Ashland by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,429 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,103,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its position in Ashland by 80.6% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 959 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Ashland

In other Ashland news, CEO Guillermo Novo purchased 31,294 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought 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 $2,010,326.56. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

Ashland Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE:ASH opened at $51.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -77.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a fifty day moving average of $56.66 and a 200 day moving average of $69.08. Ashland Inc. has a 52 week low of $45.21 and a 52 week high of $102.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share 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 in the previous year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASH has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ashland from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $68.00 to $71.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Mizuho set a $60.00 price target on shares of Ashland in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Ashland from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.20.

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.

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