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

Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 6,550 ($82.11).

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ashtead Group from GBX 6,600 ($82.74) to GBX 7,300 ($91.51) and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Berenberg Bank reissued a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 7,000 ($87.75) price objective on shares of Ashtead Group in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 6,800 ($85.25) target price on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 6,500 ($81.48) price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th.

Ashtead Group Price Performance

AHT opened at GBX 4,948 ($62.03) on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of GBX 5,903.10 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 5,569.80. The stock has a market cap of £21.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,867.17, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.22. 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 has a 52-week low of GBX 4,711 ($59.06) and a 52-week high of GBX 6,448 ($80.83).

Ashtead Group Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashtead Group

In related news, insider Lucinda Riches sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 5,880 ($73.71), for a total transaction of £58,800 ($73,711.92). Also, insider Brendan Horgan bought 4,000 shares of Ashtead Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 5,320 ($66.69) per share, with a total value of £212,800 ($266,766.95). 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.