Investment Analysts’ Recent Ratings Updates for Ashland (ASH)

Several analysts have recently updated their ratings and price targets for Ashland (NYSE: ASH):

• 12/12/2024 – Ashland was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating.
• 12/11/2024 – Ashland had its price target lowered by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $95.00 to $90.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 12/11/2024 – Ashland had its price target raised by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $83.00 to $84.00. They now have a “market perform” rating on the stock.
• 12/4/2024 – Ashland was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating.
• 11/19/2024 – Ashland had its price target lowered by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $92.00 to $83.00. They now have a “market perform” rating on the stock.

Ashland Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:ASH opened at $73.08 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.86. Ashland Inc. has a one year low of $72.83 and a one year high of $102.50. 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $80.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its 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 in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.36%.

Insider Transactions at Ashland

In other Ashland news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at $224,585.70. The trade was a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,188.74. The trade was a 3.08 % 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ashland

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

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.