Riverview Trust Co Has $28,000 Stock Holdings in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Riverview Trust Co cut its stake in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 62.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 394 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 655 shares during the quarter. Riverview Trust Co’s holdings in Ashland were worth $28,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ASH. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 6,431 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $559,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,104 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Ashland by 5.4% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Ashland by 12.1% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Ashland during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Ashland

In other Ashland news, CEO Guillermo Novo bought 31,294 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,107,188.74. The trade was a 3.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on ASH shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.50.

Ashland Stock Down 1.3 %

ASH stock opened at $60.72 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.87 billion, a PE ratio of -92.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.75. Ashland Inc. has a 52 week low of $60.51 and a 52 week high of $102.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

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

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -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.