Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $73.20.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ASH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ashland from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $68.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Mizuho set a $60.00 price target on Ashland in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. StockNews.com cut Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Ashland from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Ashland from $69.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

In related news, CEO Guillermo Novo purchased 31,294 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $64.24 per share, with a total value of $2,010,326.56. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Ashland by 52.8% during the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 15,990 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $948,000 after acquiring an additional 5,525 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 63.9% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 834 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ashland by 42.7% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 56,109 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,327,000 after buying an additional 16,779 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in Ashland by 85.6% in the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 6,567 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 3,029 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in Ashland by 33.5% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,468 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 368 shares during the period. 93.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ashland Stock Down 8.1 %

ASH traded down $4.41 during trading on Friday, reaching $49.99. The stock had a trading volume of 191,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 723,964. Ashland has a one year low of $45.21 and a one year high of $102.50. The company has a current ratio of 2.52, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock's 50 day moving average is $55.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.89. The company has a market capitalization of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -75.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.70.

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