Ashtead Group PLC (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Ashtead Group PLC has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by six analysts, with three holding a hold rating, two a buy rating, and one a strong buy rating.
• The company recently reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, missing estimates of $4.76, while its revenue was $2.80 billion, slightly above the expected $2.79 billion.
• Ashtead Group announced an increase in its dividend to $2.81, representing a yield of 155.0%, which will be paid on September 25th to shareholders recorded by August 11th.

Shares of Ashtead Group PLC (OTCMKTS:ASHTY - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ASHTY shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Ashtead Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Ashtead Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Ashtead Group from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Ashtead Group Trading Down 2.6%

Ashtead Group stock traded down $7.68 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $284.89. The stock had a trading volume of 4,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,022. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $283.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $249.28. Ashtead Group has a twelve month low of $186.01 and a twelve month high of $337.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market cap of $30.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.87 and a beta of 1.73.

Ashtead Group (OTCMKTS:ASHTY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The company reported $3.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.76 by ($0.96). Ashtead Group had a return on equity of 20.89% and a net margin of 13.68%.The company had revenue of $2.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.79 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Ashtead Group will post 15.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashtead Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $2.81 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 155.0%. This is a positive change from Ashtead Group's previous dividend of $1.44. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. Ashtead Group's payout ratio is presently 41.25%.

Ashtead Group Company Profile

Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services.