Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC Has $4.33 Million Holdings in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 28.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 60,636 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,586 shares during the quarter. Ashland makes up approximately 2.4% of Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.13% of Ashland worth $4,333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,928,924 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $352,221,000 after purchasing an additional 66,530 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in Ashland by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 31,799 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,272,000 after buying an additional 3,541 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Ashland in the fourth quarter worth about $1,072,000. AXQ Capital LP boosted its stake in shares of Ashland by 45.5% during the 4th quarter. AXQ Capital LP now owns 12,255 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $876,000 after acquiring an additional 3,831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ashland by 29.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 171,636 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $12,265,000 after acquiring an additional 39,392 shares during the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ashland Price Performance

NYSE:ASH opened at $57.24 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.52 and a quick ratio of 1.27. Ashland Inc. has a one year low of $54.86 and a one year high of $102.50. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $63.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.29. The stock has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -86.72, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.89.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.51). Ashland had a negative net margin of 1.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.41%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.45 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Saturday, March 1st were paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Ashland’s payout ratio is -245.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ashland news, CEO Guillermo Novo acquired 31,294 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $64.24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 31,294 shares in the company, valued at $2,010,326.56. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Ashland from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $87.00.

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.