UBS Group AG Has $15.07 Million Holdings in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH – Get Rating) by 32.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 140,164 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,540 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Ashland were worth $15,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Ashland by 34.1% in the third quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 46,808 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,445,000 after acquiring an additional 11,906 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Ashland during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $9,523,000. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 122,612 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,184,000 after buying an additional 4,352 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 115.0% during the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 18,697 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,776,000 after buying an additional 9,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Securian Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,623 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $497,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 92.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ashland Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE ASH opened at $90.39 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.10 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.89. Ashland Inc. has a 12 month low of $86.64 and a 12 month high of $114.36. The company has a current ratio of 3.46, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The basic materials company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $603.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $627.61 million. Ashland had a net margin of 9.32% and a return on equity of 9.66%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 6.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 1st will be paid a $0.385 dividend. This represents a $1.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 31st. This is an increase from Ashland’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is 37.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Ashland from $110.00 to $100.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Ashland in a report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Ashland from $145.00 to $142.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Ashland from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $104.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on Ashland from $139.00 to $129.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $121.25.

Ashland Company Profile

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Ashland, Inc engages in the provision of architectural coatings, construction, energy, food and beverage, nutraceuticals, personal care, and pharmaceutical products. It operates through the following segments: Life Sciences, Personal Care, Special Additives, and Intermediates. The company was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Wilmington, DE.