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

Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 6,550 ($80.90).

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AHT. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 7,000 ($86.46) price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 6,800 ($83.99) price objective on shares of Ashtead Group in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ashtead Group from GBX 6,600 ($81.52) to GBX 7,300 ($90.17) and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Brendan Horgan purchased 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 5,320 ($65.71) per share, with a total value of £212,800 ($262,845.85). Insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Ashtead Group Trading Up 0.7 %

LON:AHT opened at GBX 5,492 ($67.84) on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 145.75, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is GBX 5,524.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 5,503.98. Ashtead Group has a fifty-two week low of GBX 4,807 ($59.38) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 6,448 ($79.64). The stock has a market capitalization of £23.99 billion, a PE ratio of 2,072.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.22.

Ashtead Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. Ashtead Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 3,018.87%.

About Ashtead Group

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.