Quantbot Technologies LP Increases Stock Position in Ashland Inc. $ASH

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP increased its position in Ashland Inc. by 195.1%, owning 61,309 shares worth $3.64 million as of the last reporting period.
• Ashland reported an EPS of $1.04 for the last quarter, missing estimates and showing a 14.9% year-over-year revenue decline.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend payout of $0.415, with a yield of 3.1%, to be paid on September 15th.

Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) by 195.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 61,309 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 40,530 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP owned about 0.13% of Ashland worth $3,635,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASH. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Ashland by 2,736.0% during the first 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. raised its position in Ashland by 212.4% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 706 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Ashland by 63.9% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 834 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Ashland by 285.7% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 914 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 677 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Ashland by 1,745.8% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,329 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 1,257 shares during the period. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ashland Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of ASH traded down $0.44 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $56.12. The stock had a trading volume of 71,778 shares, compared to its average volume of 649,212. Ashland Inc. has a 52-week low of $45.21 and a 52-week high of $90.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The firm has a market cap of $2.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.99, a P/E/G ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.49. The business's fifty day moving average is $52.02 and its 200 day moving average is $53.78.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last posted 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 negative net margin of 46.01% and a positive return on equity of 6.82%. The business had revenue of $463.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $479.34 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. Ashland's revenue for the quarter was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Ashland has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.415 per share. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Ashland's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -8.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Ashland from $71.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Ashland from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Ashland from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ashland presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.