Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) VP Eric N. Boni Sells 451 Shares

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total transaction of $35,209.57. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,188.74. This trade represents a 3.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Ashland Stock Performance

Shares of ASH stock traded up $0.79 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $76.28. The company had a trading volume of 702,258 shares, compared to its average volume of 420,563. The firm has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 22.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.44. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $82.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $88.72. Ashland Inc. has a one year low of $75.04 and a one year high of $102.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued 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). The business had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $524.07 million. Ashland had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 7.95%. Ashland’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.36%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ashland

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 3.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,773,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $262,037,000 after buying an additional 86,977 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Ashland by 12.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,598,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $226,000,000 after purchasing an additional 284,215 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Ashland by 6.3% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,737,738 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $151,131,000 after buying an additional 103,517 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Ashland by 6,127.2% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 880,459 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $76,574,000 after purchasing an additional 866,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 827,642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000,000 after acquiring an additional 2,316 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASH has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Ashland from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Ashland from $116.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Ashland from $92.00 to $83.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.29.

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.