4,785 Shares in Ashland Inc. $ASH Acquired by Hilltop National Bank

Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,785 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $241,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Ashland by 276.4% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,392 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $735,000 after purchasing an additional 9,100 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Ashland during the 1st quarter worth approximately $273,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Ashland by 33.5% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,468 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Ashland by 417,809.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 45,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,726,000 after purchasing an additional 45,959 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in Ashland by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 4,012 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $238,000 after purchasing an additional 471 shares in the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ashland Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:ASH opened at $48.64 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $52.42 and its 200-day moving average is $51.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.68. Ashland Inc. has a 52 week low of $45.21 and a 52 week high of $88.89. The firm has a market cap of $2.22 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.60, a P/E/G ratio of 10.77 and a beta of 0.49.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $463.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $479.34 million. Ashland had a positive return on equity of 6.82% and a negative net margin of 46.01%.The firm’s revenue was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. Ashland has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 1st were issued a dividend of $0.415 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is presently -8.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on ASH. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ashland from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Ashland in a research report on Monday, September 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Ashland from $73.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Ashland from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Ashland in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $60.57.

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.