Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $11.64 Million Stock Position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 156.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 138,089 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 84,188 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.28% of Ashland worth $11,643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in Ashland in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Ashland by 338.0% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 403 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Ashland by 43.1% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 561 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its stake in Ashland by 163.7% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 559 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ashland during the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. Institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Ashland Stock Up 0.1 %

Ashland stock opened at $95.85 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 3.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $4.80 billion, a PE ratio of 25.42 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $95.62 and its 200 day moving average is $86.99. Ashland Inc. has a 12-month low of $70.82 and a 12-month high of $99.55.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $575.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $574.64 million. Ashland had a net margin of 9.09% and a return on equity of 5.57%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on ASH. StockNews.com raised shares of Ashland from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Ashland from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Ashland from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $126.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ashland from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $112.00 in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Ashland from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.11.

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.