Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Shares Bought by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 363.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,739 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,364 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Ashland were worth $124,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in Ashland during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,134,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 2.3% in the second quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 671,948 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $63,492,000 after acquiring an additional 14,938 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 138.6% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 120,741 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,501,000 after acquiring an additional 70,145 shares during the period. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ashland during the second quarter worth approximately $2,442,000. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ashland by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 581,204 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $54,918,000 after acquiring an additional 13,577 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Ashland news, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,188.74. The trade was a 3.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Ashland Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of ASH opened at $70.39 on Friday. Ashland Inc. has a twelve month low of $69.25 and a twelve month high of $102.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.45.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.02). Ashland had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The firm had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $524.07 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ashland Inc. will post 4.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. Ashland’s payout ratio is currently 48.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.00.

Ashland Company Profile

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.