Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) Short Interest Update

Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTY - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,800 shares, an increase of 22.6% from the January 31st total of 3,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 26,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ASHTY. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Ashtead Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Ashtead Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd.

Ashtead Group Stock Performance

ASHTY stock traded up $5.94 on Friday, reaching $238.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 27,302. Ashtead Group has a 52 week low of $223.72 and a 52 week high of $337.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $25.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $255.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $283.22.

Ashtead Group (OTCMKTS:ASHTY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.47 by ($0.38). Ashtead Group had a return on equity of 22.65% and a net margin of 14.78%. The business had revenue of $2.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Ashtead Group will post 15.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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Ashtead Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 10th were paid a dividend of $1.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. Ashtead Group's payout ratio is 19.97%.

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.