Ashtead Group PLC (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) Short Interest Update

Ashtead Group PLC (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,700 shares, a decline of 82.3% from the September 15th total of 9,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 26,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days. Based on an average trading volume of 26,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASHTY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Ashtead Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Ashtead Group from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Zacks Research cut shares of Ashtead Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Ashtead Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Ashtead Group Stock Performance

OTCMKTS:ASHTY opened at $289.86 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $30.59 billion, a PE ratio of 21.23 and a beta of 1.74. Ashtead Group has a fifty-two week low of $186.01 and a fifty-two week high of $337.95. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $286.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $255.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Ashtead Group (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 3rd. The company reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.76 by ($0.96). Ashtead Group had a return on equity of 20.89% and a net margin of 13.68%.The business had revenue of $2.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.79 billion. Analysts expect that Ashtead Group will post 15.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashtead Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were paid a dividend of $2.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 155.0%. This is an increase from Ashtead Group’s previous dividend of $1.44. Ashtead Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.25%.

About Ashtead Group

Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services.