Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Buys 610 Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 17.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,112 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 610 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Ashland were worth $294,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Ashland by 12.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,598,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $226,000,000 after purchasing an additional 284,215 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ashland by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,022,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $73,074,000 after purchasing an additional 142,121 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ashland by 0.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 827,642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000,000 after purchasing an additional 2,316 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ashland by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 702,561 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $50,205,000 after purchasing an additional 26,267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Ashland by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 517,266 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,964,000 after purchasing an additional 7,709 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Ashland Price Performance

NYSE:ASH opened at $58.38 on Monday. Ashland Inc. has a one year low of $56.29 and a one year high of $102.50. The company has a market cap of $2.75 billion, a P/E ratio of -88.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $66.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.52 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company earned $0.45 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Saturday, March 1st will be paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -245.45%.

Insider Activity at Ashland

In other Ashland news, CEO Guillermo Novo purchased 31,294 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $64.24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 31,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,010,326.56. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on ASH shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Ashland from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $93.50.

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.