Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Receives $107.88 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $107.88.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ashland from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Mizuho upped their target price on Ashland from $101.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ashland from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $112.00 in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Ashland from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th.

Ashland Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ASH opened at $92.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.63 billion, a PE ratio of 24.49, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.90. Ashland has a 12-month low of $70.82 and a 12-month high of $102.50. The business has a 50 day moving average of $97.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.78. The company has a current ratio of 3.15, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.13. Ashland had a return on equity of 5.57% and a net margin of 9.09%. The firm had revenue of $575.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $574.64 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. Ashland’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Ashland will post 4.55 EPS for the current year.

Ashland Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This is an increase from Ashland’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is 42.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Ashland by 122.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 278 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ashland during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Ashland by 143.9% during the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 378 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 163.7% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 559 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new position in Ashland during the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.