Analysts Set Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT) PT at GBX 6,550

Shares of Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 6,550 ($82.42).

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AHT. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 7,000 ($88.08) price objective on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 6,500 ($81.79) price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ashtead Group from GBX 6,600 ($83.05) to GBX 7,300 ($91.86) and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 6,800 ($85.57) price objective on shares of Ashtead Group in a report on Monday, December 16th.

Ashtead Group Stock Performance

Shares of LON:AHT opened at GBX 4,942 ($62.19) on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is GBX 5,855.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 5,554.54. The company has a market cap of £21.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,864.91, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 145.75, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.17. Ashtead Group has a one year low of GBX 4,711 ($59.28) and a one year high of GBX 6,448 ($81.14).

Ashtead Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.45%. Ashtead Group’s payout ratio is 3,018.87%.

Insider Activity at Ashtead Group

In other Ashtead Group news, insider Lucinda Riches sold 1,000 shares of Ashtead Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 5,880 ($73.99), for a total value of £58,800 ($73,990.18). Also, insider Brendan Horgan purchased 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 5,320 ($66.94) per share, for a total transaction of £212,800 ($267,774.00). Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Ashtead Group Company Profile

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.