Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC Buys 1,171 Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 99,121 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,171 shares during the period. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.21% of Ashland worth $7,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 66,530 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Ashland by 1.6% during 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 buying an additional 44,018 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Ashland by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,806,922 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $200,583,000 after buying an additional 208,320 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ashland by 16.1% in 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 buying an additional 142,121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 702,561 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $50,205,000 after acquiring an additional 26,267 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Ashland from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Ashland from $69.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Mizuho set a $60.00 price target on Ashland in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ashland from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $68.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.20.

Insider Transactions at Ashland

In related news, CEO Guillermo Novo acquired 31,294 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,010,326.56. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ashland Stock Up 2.4 %

NYSE ASH opened at $51.45 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.52 and a quick ratio of 1.27. Ashland Inc. has a one year low of $45.21 and a one year high of $102.50. The firm has a market cap of $2.43 billion, a PE ratio of -77.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.70.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its earnings results 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 period last year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Ashland

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.