Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Purchases 1,988 Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 200,798 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,988 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ashland were worth $14,349,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Ashland by 105.1% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 119,135 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $8,513,000 after acquiring an additional 61,058 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in Ashland in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,134,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Ashland by 138.6% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 120,741 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,501,000 after acquiring an additional 70,145 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Ashland by 66.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 169,618 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,752,000 after acquiring an additional 67,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Ashland by 703.7% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 184,806 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,206,000 after acquiring an additional 161,812 shares in the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Guillermo Novo bought 31,294 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $64.24 per share, with a total value of $2,010,326.56. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,010,326.56. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the company’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 completion of 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. Insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on ASH. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target 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 Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.57.

Ashland Price Performance

Ashland stock opened at $60.72 on Friday. Ashland Inc. has a 52 week low of $60.51 and a 52 week high of $102.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $67.82 and a 200-day moving average of $77.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 2.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.87 billion, a P/E ratio of -92.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.86.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.51). Ashland had a positive return on equity of 7.41% and a negative net margin of 1.12%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.67%. Ashland’s payout ratio is presently -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.