Robin E. Lampkin Sells 868 Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Stock

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction 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 $224,585.70. This represents a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Ashland Stock Performance

NYSE ASH opened at $76.42 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.44. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $84.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $90.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.88. Ashland Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.48 and a fifty-two week high of $102.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last posted 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 return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 7.95%. The company had revenue of $522.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $524.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ashland Inc. will post 4.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ASH. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Ashland from $116.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Ashland from $112.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Ashland from $92.00 to $83.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.29.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. 1832 Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in Ashland by 4.2% during the first quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 657,010 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $63,973,000 after acquiring an additional 26,245 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ashland during the 2nd quarter worth about $713,000. Boston Partners raised its holdings in Ashland by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 429,220 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,727,000 after buying an additional 106,417 shares during the period. Bayesian Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Ashland by 242.5% in the 1st quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP now owns 13,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,334,000 after buying an additional 9,700 shares during the period. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ashland in the second quarter valued at about $2,442,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.