Keeley Teton Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Keeley Teton Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 62.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,882 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,954 shares during the quarter. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Ashland worth $1,850,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASH. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Ashland during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Ashland during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Ashland during the 4th quarter valued at $56,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 428 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Ashland by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 994 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Mizuho set a $60.00 price target on Ashland in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ashland from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $71.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. 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, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Ashland from $69.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ashland currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Ashland Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of ASH opened at $50.33 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.37 billion, a PE ratio of -76.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s fifty day moving average is $58.04 and its 200 day moving average is $70.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 2.52. Ashland Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $45.21 and a fifty-two week high of $102.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Saturday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. Ashland’s payout ratio is presently -245.45%.

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.