Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 6,550 ($81.53).

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ashtead Group from GBX 6,600 ($82.15) to GBX 7,300 ($90.86) and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 7,000 ($87.13) price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 6,800 ($84.64) price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a research report on Monday, December 16th.

Ashtead Group Price Performance

LON:AHT opened at GBX 5,092 ($63.38) on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 5,212.28 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 5,499. The firm has a market cap of £22.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,921.51, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.22. Ashtead Group has a 52-week low of GBX 4,807 ($59.83) and a 52-week high of GBX 6,448 ($80.26). The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 145.75.

Ashtead Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 9th. This represents a yield of 0.45%. Ashtead Group’s payout ratio is presently 3,018.87%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Brendan Horgan purchased 4,000 shares of Ashtead Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 5,320 ($66.22) per share, for a total transaction of £212,800 ($264,874.28). 0.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.