Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC Acquires 15,152 Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC boosted its stake in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 442,428 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 15,152 shares during the period. Ashland accounts for about 1.8% of Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC’s holdings in Ashland were worth $31,616,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ashland by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,928,924 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $352,221,000 after purchasing an additional 66,530 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Ashland by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,806,922 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $200,583,000 after buying an additional 208,320 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Ashland by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,022,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $73,074,000 after buying an additional 142,121 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ashland by 0.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 827,642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $72,000,000 after acquiring an additional 2,316 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Ashland by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 702,561 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $50,205,000 after acquiring an additional 26,267 shares during the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ashland

In other Ashland 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 price of $64.24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,010,326.56. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ashland Stock Performance

Shares of ASH opened at $50.45 on Friday. Ashland Inc. has a 52 week low of $45.21 and a 52 week high of $102.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 2.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $57.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -76.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.70.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st were paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. Ashland’s payout ratio is presently -245.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Ashland from $69.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Ashland from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Mizuho set a $60.00 price target on Ashland in a research note on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.20.

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.