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

Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 6,550 ($81.76).

AHT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 7,000 ($87.38) price objective on shares of Ashtead Group in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ashtead Group from GBX 6,600 ($82.39) to GBX 7,300 ($91.12) and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 6,800 ($84.88) price objective on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Monday, December 16th.

Ashtead Group Stock Performance

LON AHT opened at GBX 5,402 ($67.43) on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of £23.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2,038.49, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s 50 day moving average is GBX 5,506.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 5,504.81. Ashtead Group has a 12-month low of GBX 4,807 ($60.00) and a 12-month high of GBX 6,448 ($80.49). The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 145.75.

Ashtead Group Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashtead Group

In other news, insider Brendan Horgan acquired 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 5,320 ($66.41) per share, with a total value of £212,800 ($265,634.75). 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ashtead Group Company Profile

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.