Boston Partners Boosts Stock Position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Boston Partners lifted its position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 47.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 577,633 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 184,954 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners’ holdings in Ashland were worth $41,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 156,050 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,151,000 after buying an additional 31,200 shares during the period. Hilton Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Hilton Capital Management LLC now owns 15,162 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,083,000 after buying an additional 661 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Ashland in the 4th quarter valued at $56,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,958 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $926,000 after buying an additional 891 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in Ashland by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 45,258 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,234,000 after purchasing an additional 13,856 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Seaport Res Ptn cut Ashland from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com cut Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $87.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

In related news, CEO Guillermo Novo acquired 31,294 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $64.24 per share, with a total value of $2,010,326.56. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,010,326.56. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ashland Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE ASH opened at $55.94 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a PE ratio of -84.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Ashland Inc. has a 52-week low of $53.76 and a 52-week high of $102.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $64.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.04.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) 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 period last year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is presently -245.45%.

Ashland 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.