Natixis Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Natixis Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) by 73.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,563 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 201,553 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.15% of Ashland worth $7,045,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASH. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Ashland during the 1st quarter worth $624,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Ashland by 56.5% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 216,102 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $21,042,000 after acquiring an additional 78,013 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Ashland in the first quarter valued at about $3,480,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Ashland by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,424,801 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $204,435,000 after acquiring an additional 164,468 shares during the period. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 427.1% in the 1st quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,928 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,454,000 after purchasing an additional 12,096 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company's stock.

Ashland Price Performance

Shares of Ashland stock traded down $1.26 during trading on Friday, hitting $85.01. The stock had a trading volume of 378,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 412,353. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Ashland Inc. has a 12 month low of $70.82 and a 12 month high of $102.50. The firm has a market cap of $4.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.88. The business's 50-day moving average is $90.64 and its 200 day moving average is $94.56.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. Ashland had a return on equity of 5.98% and a net margin of 7.01%. The firm had revenue of $544.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $577.08 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. The company's revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ashland Inc. will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Ashland's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on ASH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ashland from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Ashland from $105.00 to $92.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. UBS Group cut their target price 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ashland from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.50.

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.