Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $72.40 and last traded at $72.75, with a volume of 414046 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $73.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ASH. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.00.

Ashland Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.73, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $80.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $87.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.02). Ashland had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The firm had revenue of $522.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $524.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Ashland Inc. will post 4.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.36%.

Insider Transactions at Ashland

In other Ashland news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total value of $67,617.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,585.70. This represents a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,188.74. This represents a 3.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Ashland during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Ashland by 193.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Ashland in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Ashland by 610.5% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ashland during the second quarter valued at about $71,000. 93.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.