Wipfli Financial Advisors LLC Invests $84,000 in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Wipfli Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH – Get Rating) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 885 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ASH. ACG Wealth bought a new stake in Ashland in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Hallmark Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ashland in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in Ashland by 65.5% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 543 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Ashland by 32.7% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 520 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC bought a new stake in Ashland in the 2nd quarter valued at $62,000. 92.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ashland Stock Performance

Shares of ASH stock opened at $111.73 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.89 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 2.06 and a current ratio of 3.20. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.87. Ashland Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.29 and a 52 week high of $114.36.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 7th. The basic materials company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $631.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $636.10 million. Ashland had a net margin of 38.77% and a return on equity of 10.17%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 6.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 1st were issued a $0.335 dividend. This represents a $1.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 30th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASH has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Ashland from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of Ashland from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Ashland from $143.00 to $148.00 in a research note on Friday, September 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ashland from $104.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ashland from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ashland has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.38.

Ashland Profile

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Ashland Inc provides additives and specialty ingredients worldwide. 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.