Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC Grows Position in Ashland Inc. $ASH

Key Points

• Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC increased its holdings in Ashland Inc. by 109.5% during Q1, now owning 69,270 shares worth approximately $4.1 million.
• Multiple hedge funds have also significantly increased their positions in Ashland, with UMB Bank n.a. growing its holdings by 212.4% in the same quarter.
• Ashland has recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.415 per share, with an annualized yield of 2.9% and a payout ratio of -8.86%.

Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) by 109.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 69,270 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 36,200 shares during the period. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Ashland worth $4,107,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ASH. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ashland by 2,736.0% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 709 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Ashland by 212.4% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 706 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position 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 during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ashland by 285.7% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 914 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Ashland by 1,745.8% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,329 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares during the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus cut their price target on shares of Ashland from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ashland from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ashland from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Ashland from $71.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Ashland from $73.00 to $64.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $65.50.

Ashland Stock Performance

Shares of ASH stock traded up $0.22 on Friday, hitting $56.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 117,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 644,740. The company has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a PE ratio of -3.01, a PEG ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.68. Ashland Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $45.21 and a fifty-two week high of $90.61. The stock's 50 day moving average is $52.60 and its 200-day moving average is $53.71.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $463.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $479.34 million. Ashland had a negative net margin of 46.01% and a positive return on equity of 6.82%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. Ashland has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 1st will be issued a $0.415 dividend. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Ashland's payout ratio is -8.86%.

Ashland Profile

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.