Boston Partners Cuts Stock Holdings in Ashland Inc. $ASH

Key Points

• Boston Partners has significantly reduced its stake in Ashland Inc. by 75.2%, now holding 143,031 shares valued at approximately $8.48 million.
• Ashland Inc.'s recent earnings report showed a missed consensus estimate with earnings per share of $1.04, down from $1.49 year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.415, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 3.1%, with the ex-dividend date set for August 29th.

Boston Partners lowered its position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) by 75.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 143,031 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 434,602 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned about 0.31% of Ashland worth $8,478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 480 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased 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 buying an additional 684 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Ashland by 63.9% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 834 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ashland by 285.7% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 914 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 677 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 1,745.8% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,329 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 1,257 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company's stock.

Ashland Stock Performance

ASH stock traded down $0.04 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $54.07. The company had a trading volume of 161,657 shares, compared to its average volume of 655,147. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.03. The company has a market cap of $2.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.83 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 twelve month low of $45.21 and a twelve month high of $90.61.

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

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.415 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Ashland's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -8.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ASH. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ashland from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Ashland from $73.00 to $64.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Ashland from $71.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ashland presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $65.60.

Ashland Company 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.