Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) SVP Robin E. Lampkin Sells 868 Shares

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total value of $67,617.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,585.70. The trade was a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Ashland Stock Down 0.8 %

Ashland stock opened at $76.42 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.73 billion, a PE ratio of 22.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $84.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $90.60. Ashland Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.48 and a 1-year high of $102.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.02). Ashland had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The business had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $524.07 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Sunday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ASH shares. StockNews.com downgraded Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ashland from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Ashland from $92.00 to $83.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Ashland from $116.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ashland presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.29.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ashland

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ashland in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Ashland by 193.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in Ashland by 610.5% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 133.8% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 650 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares during the period. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ashland during the second quarter worth approximately $71,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

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.