Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Ashland shares recently crossed above their 200-day moving average ($56.15), trading as high as $58.38 and last at $57.97 on volume of about 566,571 shares.
• Analysts are mixed — six Buys, four Holds and one Sell — giving a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Hold" with a consensus target price of $66.11 (individual targets roughly $63–$70).
• In the latest quarter Ashland reported EPS $0.26 (beating the $0.23 estimate) but revenue was down 4.7% year‑over‑year and the company posted a negative net margin of 38.26%.

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $56.15 and traded as high as $58.38. Ashland shares last traded at $57.9670, with a volume of 566,571 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on ASH shares. Morgan Stanley set a $63.00 price target on Ashland in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Ashland in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Ashland from $77.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research raised Ashland from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Ashland in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $66.11.

Ashland Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $56.67 and a 200-day moving average of $56.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.84, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 3.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The basic materials company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $386.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $401.42 million. Ashland had a positive return on equity of 7.58% and a negative net margin of 38.26%.Ashland's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ashland Inc. will post 3.81 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ashland

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in Ashland by 51.1% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 182,267 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $8,732,000 after purchasing an additional 61,673 shares during the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ashland in the third quarter worth $3,067,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ashland in the third quarter worth $10,397,000. Standard Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ashland in the third quarter worth $107,318,000. Finally, Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 40.4% in the third quarter. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC now owns 199,376 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $9,552,000 after acquiring an additional 57,402 shares during the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ashland Company Profile

Ashland Inc is a global specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures and supplies a broad range of performance and process-critical additives, ingredients and technologies. Its portfolio spans performance additives for coatings, adhesives and sealants; specialty ingredients for personal care and pharmaceutical applications; and process aids used in water treatment and other industrial processes. Ashland aims to address customer challenges by delivering tailored solutions that improve product performance, processing efficiency and sustainability outcomes.

Founded in 1924 as the Ashland Oil & Refining Company, the firm gradually expanded into the specialty chemicals sector over the second half of the 20th century.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.