Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Purchases Shares of 5,050 Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,050 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $361,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. 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 during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ashland by 62,666.7% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,766 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 3,760 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Ashland by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 36,943 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,213,000 after purchasing an additional 486 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its stake in Ashland by 25.7% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 4,729 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 966 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Ashland by 323.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 71,689 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,236,000 after buying an additional 54,745 shares in the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Ashland from $80.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ashland from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn cut Ashland from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $85.40.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Guillermo Novo acquired 31,294 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 purchase, 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ashland Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ASH opened at $48.75 on Tuesday. Ashland Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.21 and a 1 year high of $102.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -73.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.52 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.18.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share (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 period in the prior year, the business posted $0.45 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st were issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -245.45%.

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.