Ashtead Group (LON:AHT) Receives “Buy” Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group restated their buy rating on shares of Ashtead Group (LON:AHT) in a report released on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a GBX 6,150 ($80.87) price objective on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a GBX 6,600 ($86.79) target price on shares of Ashtead Group in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Ashtead Group from GBX 6,800 ($89.41) to GBX 6,500 ($85.47) and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ashtead Group presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of GBX 4,933.13 ($64.87).

Ashtead Group Price Performance

Shares of LON AHT opened at GBX 5,410 ($71.14) on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of £23.61 billion, a PE ratio of 1,960.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.22. The business has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 5,260.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 5,477.34. Ashtead Group has a fifty-two week low of GBX 4,437 ($58.34) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 6,180 ($81.26). The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 150.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Ashtead Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 8th will be paid a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 8th. This is an increase from Ashtead Group’s previous dividend of $0.16. This represents a dividend yield of 1.28%. Ashtead Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 2,898.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Brendan Horgan sold 37,063 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 5,112 ($67.22), for a total transaction of £1,894,660.56 ($2,491,335.38). In other Ashtead Group news, insider Renata Ribeiro bought 160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 5,273 ($69.34) per share, for a total transaction of £8,436.80 ($11,093.75). Also, insider Brendan Horgan sold 37,063 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 5,112 ($67.22), for a total value of £1,894,660.56 ($2,491,335.38). Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

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.