Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $56.08 and last traded at $56.58, with a volume of 57915 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $57.36.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Ashland from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned 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 an average price target of $93.50.

Ashland Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.66 billion, a PE ratio of -85.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.52 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $76.54.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.51). Ashland had a negative net margin of 1.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.41%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -245.45%.

Insider Transactions at Ashland

In other news, CEO Guillermo Novo bought 31,294 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $64.24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 31,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,010,326.56. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ashland

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASH. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Ashland by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,928,924 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $352,221,000 after buying an additional 66,530 shares during the period. Eminence Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 2,860,471 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $204,409,000 after acquiring an additional 212,916 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Ashland by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,818,695 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $201,423,000 after acquiring an additional 44,018 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Ashland by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,806,922 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $200,583,000 after acquiring an additional 208,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Ashland by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,022,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $73,074,000 after purchasing an additional 142,121 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.