Jump Financial LLC Purchases Shares of 9,300 Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 9,300 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $665,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mariner LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 8,793 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $628,000 after acquiring an additional 995 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 93,422 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,675,000 after purchasing an additional 21,733 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 57.6% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 80.6% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 959 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ashland in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,943,000. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ashland Stock Up 0.5 %

ASH traded up $0.25 on Monday, reaching $53.37. 435,532 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 513,393. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.52 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The company has a market cap of $2.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -80.86, a PEG 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $55.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.09.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last posted 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 prior year, the company earned $0.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on ASH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ashland from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $68.00 to $71.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Mizuho set a $60.00 target price on shares of Ashland in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Ashland from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ashland from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Ashland from $69.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Guillermo Novo acquired 31,294 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $64.24 per share, with a total value of $2,010,326.56. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 31,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,010,326.56. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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.