StockNews.com Upgrades Ashland (NYSE:ASH) to Buy

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on ASH. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Ashland from $116.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 15th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Ashland from $92.00 to $83.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ashland from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $89.00 in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.29.

Ashland Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of Ashland stock opened at $76.45 on Wednesday. Ashland has a 12 month low of $75.04 and a 12 month high of $102.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $89.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $3.60 billion, a PE ratio of 22.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.86.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $522.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $524.07 million. Ashland had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 7.95%. Ashland’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Ashland will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

In other news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total value of $67,617.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at $224,585.70. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Equitable Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Ashland by 2.2% in the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 6,431 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $559,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in Ashland by 2.1% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 7,295 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $681,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its position in shares of Ashland by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,104 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of Ashland by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 4,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $307,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.95% 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.