Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Shares Sold by WCM Investment Management LLC

WCM Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 285,488 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 11,730 shares during the quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC owned 0.61% of Ashland worth $20,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ashland during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Ashland by 193.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 381 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Ashland during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Ashland in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ashland by 610.5% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price 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. UBS Group dropped their target price on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.57.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

In other Ashland news, CEO Guillermo Novo acquired 31,294 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $64.24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total value of $67,617.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares of the company's stock, valued at $224,585.70. This represents a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ashland Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of ASH traded down $0.58 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $64.02. The company had a trading volume of 600,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 684,202. Ashland Inc. has a 52 week low of $60.60 and a 52 week high of $102.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $70.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 2.52. The company has a market capitalization of $3.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -97.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. Ashland's dividend payout ratio is currently -245.45%.

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.