Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Holdings in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,818,695 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 44,018 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 5.97% of Ashland worth $201,423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Ashland by 50.4% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 189,525 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $13,543,000 after buying an additional 63,503 shares during the period. Commerce Bank boosted its stake in shares of Ashland by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 5,042 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC grew its position in shares of Ashland by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC now owns 442,428 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,616,000 after acquiring an additional 15,152 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in shares of Ashland during the 4th quarter valued at $4,157,000. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ashland by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 148,433 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,607,000 after purchasing an additional 22,600 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company's stock.

Ashland Price Performance

NYSE ASH traded down $0.08 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $53.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 57,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 511,916. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Ashland Inc. has a 1 year low of $45.21 and a 1 year high of $102.50. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $55.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.31. The company has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -80.22, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.70.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Guillermo Novo bought 31,294 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $64.24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 31,294 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,010,326.56. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

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.