Analysts Set Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Target Price at $103.29

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $103.29.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ashland from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $90.00 to $89.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Ashland from $92.00 to $83.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group cut their target price on Ashland from $116.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th.

Ashland Stock Up 0.3 %

ASH stock opened at $78.14 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $83.49 and its 200 day moving average is $89.75. The stock has a market cap of $3.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Ashland has a 1-year low of $75.04 and a 1-year high of $102.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.02). Ashland had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 7.95%. The company had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $524.07 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. Ashland’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Ashland will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st will be issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is 48.36%.

Insider Activity at Ashland

In related news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the firm’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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,585.70. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.69% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ashland

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ASH. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Ashland by 6,127.2% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 880,459 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $76,574,000 after purchasing an additional 866,320 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Ashland by 12.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,598,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $226,000,000 after buying an additional 284,215 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ashland by 616.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 189,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,875,000 after acquiring an additional 162,776 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ashland during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $14,346,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Ashland by 407.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 139,718 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,202,000 after acquiring an additional 112,169 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

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.