Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Shares Acquired by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) by 84.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 275,460 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 125,987 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.58% of Ashland worth $19,684,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC raised its position in Ashland by 323.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 71,689 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,236,000 after acquiring an additional 54,745 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Ashland in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Ashland by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 3,964 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Ashland by 66.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 169,618 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $14,752,000 after buying an additional 67,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Ashland during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ashland Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE ASH traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $50.05. 581,868 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 530,425. Ashland Inc. has a twelve month low of $45.21 and a twelve month high of $102.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a P/E ratio of -75.83, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 2.52.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $479.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $514.79 million. Ashland had a negative net margin of 1.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.41%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Investors of record on Sunday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.415 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. This is a boost from Ashland's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Ashland's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -69.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Ashland from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Mizuho set a $60.00 price target on shares of Ashland in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Ashland from $71.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Ashland from $85.00 to $74.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $68.60.

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.