Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Buys 22,600 Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) by 18.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 148,433 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 22,600 shares during the quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned about 0.31% of Ashland worth $10,607,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in Ashland by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 36,943 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,213,000 after purchasing an additional 486 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in Ashland by 25.7% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 4,729 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 966 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Ashland by 323.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 71,689 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,236,000 after acquiring an additional 54,745 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ashland by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 827,642 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $72,000,000 after acquiring an additional 2,316 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Ashland in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 93.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

In related news, CEO Guillermo Novo acquired 31,294 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $64.24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the purchase, 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ashland Stock Performance

ASH traded up $0.87 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $51.13. 47,344 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 740,268. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -77.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.70. Ashland Inc. has a 52-week low of $45.21 and a 52-week high of $102.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company's fifty day moving average price is $56.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.21.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.51). Ashland had a positive return on equity of 7.41% and a negative net margin of 1.12%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on ASH. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Ashland from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Mizuho set a $60.00 price target on Ashland in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ashland from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ashland currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.20.

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.